


Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin Get the Life They Deserve

by apricotyams



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Fix-It, Gay Sirius Black, Gen, M/M, Person of Color Harry Potter, Raising Harry Potter, Sirius Black Free from Azkaban, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin Raise Harry Potter, Traumatized Harry Potter, Young Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 85,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26000947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apricotyams/pseuds/apricotyams
Summary: Life at the Dursley’s is bad for Harry Potter, to put it in a word. But when Sirius Black shows up with Albus Dumbledore, Harry finds out what it means to be loved and to be cared for. And with Sirius out of Azkaban for a good chunk of Harry’s young life, Dumbledore finds it harder to meddle in his life and carve him out to be his perfect little soldier.In which Harry gets the childhood he deserves, Remus and Sirius get to live happily together knowing their best friend’s son grows up loved and happy, and the Dursleys are still pieces of crap.
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 189
Kudos: 504





	1. Leaving Privet Drive

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first full length fic that i’m posting ever and i’m really enjoying writing it! i dont have a timeline for when ill post really but hopefully it’ll be something like every week. first thing to note is this chapter has some physical abuse at the beginning but as far as i can think in the future with where this is going, this will be the only depiction of such abuse however, there may be mentions of it in future chapters! 
> 
> dumbledore is not The Best in this story either but he’s Not the Worst either at the moment but sirius and remus will not let him use harry as he had in canon so, do with that what you will. 
> 
> oh! and enjoy! :-)

Harry sat at the dining table and stared at his empty plate, listening to the sounds of his aunt, uncle, and cousin enjoying the bacon and eggs Harry had made that morning. The lack of insults hurled at him was a sign that he’d done a well enough job and was improving.

“Toast is a little burnt, boy,” his Uncle sneered.

Oh. Harry would have to remember to set the timer on the toaster differently in the morning tomorrow. But still, it was a pretty good morning because only the toast was burnt a little which meant that he would get to eat a little of it. Harry’s morning was going well thus far. 

“I want more juice,” Dudley demanded. His cousin, who had recently turned 7, turned expectantly towards Harry who wordlessly stood from the table and hurried to the refrigerator. He poured Dudley some orange juice before returning the carton to the refrigerator and returning to his seat.

“No school today,” Aunt Petunia said stiffly and Harry risked a glance up to her only to be met with a glare from both her and his uncle. He returned to his downcast gaze. 

“Why?” Harry asked quietly, trying to come off curious but it still resulted in a smack to the back of his head that made his ears ring. Dudley snorted in humor as his freak cousin got hit. 

“Don’t ask questions,” Vernon snarled and Harry nodded mutely. 

“The garden needs to be weeded and the hedges need trimming. We have guests coming over tonight,” Petunia answered anyway, her voice tight in disgust but Harry nodded mutely again. It was nearing summer so it was likely to be blazing hot out but there was no chance in arguing. Harry managed a slip up.

“I have a maths test today,” he voiced quietly before looking up in fear and raising a hand to his mouth. He was shocked he spoke out of turn and apparently so were his Aunt and Uncle. 

At once, Harry and Vernon recovered from their shock and the boy managed to scramble out of his seat towards the back door as Vernon grabbed the belt off the coat hook nearby. The large man lumbered out of his seat and grabbed Harry around his small waist just as he managed to turn the lock on the door. His Uncle half carried/half dragged Harry into the sitting room before throwing him to the ground. Harry cowered on the floor, staring up at his uncle in fear before the belt came down and lashed his shins. Harry managed to contain his anguish and settled for a grimace instead. 

“I don’t care about your ruddy maths test!” Vernon roared, bringing the belt down again, this time on Harry’s right arm. The small boy felt the welt rise immediately on his brown flesh but didn’t dare look away from his uncle. 

“Your aunt told you to weed the garden and trim the hedges! The way you're going, a maths test won’t matter, freak,” Vernon continued, doling out lashes to Harry’s shins, his thigh, his other arm. Harry did not dare voice a noise of pain for surely that meant a week in his cupboard with barely enough food to survive. “You're worthless as is, best make yourself useful and do as you're told,” Vernon finished raging, a last lash to the already painful welt on Harry’s right arm. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry croaked, his voice cracking and his eyes watering. It had been a week and a half since his last lashing which was a record. He was upset with himself for ruining his good streak. 

Vernon, looking livid, was about to bark at Harry once more before the sound of the doorbell interrupted him. His Uncle looked at Harry, sizing him up before coming to the conclusion that the red marks on his skin were visible enough to raise alarm to anyone who could be at the door. Vernon settled to get himself as he seethed out, “Get outside.”

Harry didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried out of the sitting room and didn’t spare a glance at his aunt or cousin though he heard Dudley’s giggles anyway. The door was already unlocked and Harry was running out instantly, closing it quickly behind him, making sure not to slam it. That would mean another set of bruises. 

Harry had picked out two weeds by the time he heard his Uncle shouting again. It caused alarms to ring in his head but he knew better than to try to run. He would have to wait for his Uncle to come to him and see that he was doing as he was told before telling Harry what he’d done wrong this time. Perhaps he did shut the door too loudly. But when Vernon didn’t open the door to the backyard immediately, Harry stalled in his task. There was more shouting and Harry could make out the conversation a bit. 

“You said your lot would stay away!” Vernon yelled and Harry’s brow furrowed. His hand was still clamped around a forgotten weed as he listened intently for a reply but there was none loud enough for Harry to hear. 

“He is well! We cloth and feed him, he has a roof over his head!” Vernon shouted and Harry’s confusion only continued to grow. 

Seconds later, Harry heard pounding footsteps that could only belong to his overly large uncle hurrying to the back door, right to where Harry was. He’d realized this not a second too soon as he began furiously de-weeding the garden in an effort to make it seem as though he hadn’t stopped to listen in on the yelling. That would be very bad indeed. 

Vernon threw the door open and shoved his purple face outside, snarling, “You boy, get inside.” Harry rose quickly and his uncle grabbed his arm to yank inside in a hurry. Harry gasped in pain as his uncle held a bruising grip on his already sore, red arm. As he was pulled through the kitchen, Harry risked a glance at the table and found no one sitting there. But as he was shoved into the hallway, he saw his Aunt’s stark white face nervously eyeing the front door. Dudley was nowhere to be seen. Harry looked to the front door and cocked his head to the side a little at the odd arrangement of people in the front entryway of the house on Privet Drive. 

When Harry hadn’t moved for a second, his uncle gave him another push though lighter than he normally would’ve, shocking Harry. He took a few steps forward and managed to make out of a few features of the two people before him. Both were very tall but one was very old and the other, much younger. The older looking one had a long silver beard coupled with equally long and silver hair. He wore funny robes that were a deep shade of midnight blue and a pointed hat on top. Harry thought he looked quite funny but was too shocked to really think about it. The younger man, however, looked slightly more normal with his ripped black jeans and leather jacket. Though his hair was long, silky, and very black which made Harry think Aunt Petunia would be appalled but Harry didn’t mind. He caught the younger man’s eye and noticed they were a shade of gray that should’ve felt cold but Harry could feel the warmth in them. The young man gave Harry a toothy grin and the young boy returned it with a small, hesitant smile that quickly flickered off his face. 

Harry came to a stop in front of them and both men peered down at Harry. Neither of them spoke however but it gave time for Harry to read their expressions a little. The older man had bright blue eyes that seemed to twinkle behind his glasses, his gaze felt familiar and fond, he had a bit of a smile on his face although Harry could tell still that he was concerned. The other man, however, looked like he was going through a range of emotions from anger, sadness, joy, fear, and others Harry couldn’t discern. 

“Hello, Harry,” the old man spoke first and Harry turned his attention to him. “I am Albus Dumbledore,” he introduced and Harry stared dumbstruck for a minute. 

“Hi,” he squeaked out, his voice sounding small. Both men gave him genuine and kind smiles that made Harry feel warm. He didn’t really know what the feeling was. 

“Harry,” it was the younger man. Harry looked at him and he knelt down so he was more at eye level with the young boy. “My name is Sirius Black,” Sirius Black said softly and Harry could see some grayness to Sirius’s skin but he looked healthy. And he was looking at Harry with love which is something he never gets looked at with. 

“Hi,” Harry managed again and Sirius smiled at him. 

“I don’t think you’d remember me but I’d know you from a mile away, you look exactly like your father. Except for your eyes, they look just like your mum’s. I remember the day you were born and the moment your dad asked me to be your godfather,” Sirius said softly, his eyes searching Harry’s face. 

“You knew my mum and dad?” Harry asked quietly, his tone slightly disbelieving but still eager. 

“Me and your dad were best mates,” Sirius said, using the same gentle tone that made Harry feel safe. “And your mum, well your mum was like no else I’d ever known.”

“And you’re my...my godfather?” Harry asked, his small voice breaking in confusion. If Sirius was his godfather why was he living with the Dursleys? did Sirius not want him? Why was he here now?

“Yes, I am, Harry. And I am so so sorry that I haven’t been here sooner and that I haven’t been able to care for you sooner,” Sirius apologized and Harry could see he meant it in his eyes. 

The old man, Dumbledore, cleared his throat sharply to capture both Harry and Sirius’s attention, earning a glare from the latter that he quickly repressed at the sight of the old man’s face. 

“Harry, can I see your arm?” Dumbledore asked, his voice still kind and gentle but with a hint of firmness that told Harry that he wasn’t to say no. He wonders if Sirius or Mr. Dumbledore would hit him if he said no. He doesn’t like the thought but he also is very aware of the presence of his Uncle and Aunt behind them. 

Before he answered, Harry risked a glance back at them but didn’t manage to get a peek before Dumbledore softly spoke. “Please, Harry. Pretend they’re not in the room right now.” Harry faced front again and nodded but his Uncle let out a strangled and indiscernible noise that caused Harry to flinch a little and hunch his shoulders. 

When nothing resulted, Harry looked back up and saw Sirius glaring at what Harry could only guess as to his Aunt and Uncle behind him. He looked...well kind of scary. But Dumbledore was intent on Harry still which reminded Harry to hold out his right arm, showing off a red welt where smooth brown skin should be. 

Dumbledore reached his hand out and asked, “May I?” And when Harry nodded, took his wrist gently, and bent down to get a better look at it. Harry saw Sirius turn his attention back to him and his eyes held possibly more anger. Harry tensed and Sirius seemed to notice as he released the anger from his face and replaced it with concern. 

“Can you tell us what happened?” Dumbledore asked gently. 

However before Harry could even think of answering, Uncle Vernon snarled and stepped forward towards the entrance hall. 

“The boy fell—“

“His name is Harry,” Sirius hissed and Harry raised his eyebrows. Sirius had been angry with his Uncle the entire time. 

“Perhaps young Harry can show us what happened, or rather how it happened,” Dumbledore interjected and Harry nodded. 

“Don’t you even think about it, boy—“ 

“I suggest you move out of the way,” Sirius growled and Harry saw his left arm shift so a long stick of wood was protruding from his jacket sleeve.

“Sirius,” Dumbledore started gravely. 

“Alright,” Sirius snapped, the wood disappearing back into his jacket sleeve.

“This way,” Harry mumbled when Dumbledore looked back at him with expectancy.

When Harry turned back, his Uncle was standing next to his Aunt, intently glaring at Harry but his Aunt was still white-faced and her eyes were fixed firmly on Sirius’s left arm. 

Harry dared a step forward and when neither his Aunt or Uncle moved, he took slightly hurried steps into the kitchen. He turned and found Dumbledore and Sirius following behind him. Sirius was grimacing and Dumbledore looked serene though there was something else in his expression that Harry couldn’t read. 

Harry led them into the kitchen and Sirius shut the door behind them, thankfully. Harry wasn’t sure where all this courage was coming from but he felt like he wouldn’t get hurt by his Aunt or Uncle in either of the two men’s presence. Harry crossed the kitchen and stopped at the coat hooks next to the back entrance and pointed at the belt that was always there. He didn’t speak though, afraid words would fail him. Sirius saw where Harry was pointing and some color drained out of his face while Dumbledore’s expression clouded a bit.

“Did someone hurt you with that, Harry?” Dumbledore asked and Harry nodded. 

“Uncle Vernon,” he said quietly, his eyes darting to the kitchen door as if the man would burst through at any moment. 

“Harry, would you like to live somewhere else?” Dumbledore asked firmly and Harry didn’t even think before nodding his head. He didn’t like living with the Dursleys, he knew that he got hit and was only fed when he was good because he was a freak and good for nothing but he still didn’t like them. 

“Harry, would you like to live with me?” Sirius asked this time and Harry looked at the younger man and tilted his head to the side. “I am your rightful guardian after all and we could live together with my, er, friend and I would make sure you're happy,” Sirius continued gently, his face showing signs of nervousness as if Harry would say no. 

“You’re my godfather,” Harry repeated the earlier sentiment and Sirius nodded. “You knew my mum and dad,” he stated and Sirius nodded again. “I could be happy?” he said, this time, posing it as a question. Sirius took careful steps closer to Harry and knelt down to his height again. Harry quite liked that Sirius would get on his level.

“Yes, I would do my very best to always make sure you’re happy. And there would be absolutely no belts,” Sirius said softly and Harry felt his eyes water. 

“You want to take me away from here?” the boy asked hopefully and Sirius nodded again, a smile breaking out onto his face. 

“And you would never ever come back,” Sirius finished. 

“Please,” Harry gasped and Sirius nodded. The young man turned and looked at Dumbledore who nodded sagely.

“Alright, we’ll leave together,” Sirius said. 

“And never look back,” Harry said firmly and Sirius smiled again. 

“And never look back,” Sirius confirmed. 

“Harry, why don’t we gather your things and then we can leave,” Dumbledore said gently and Harry nodded. 

Harry, without really thinking, took Sirius’s hand and led him out back into the hall where his Aunt and Uncle still stood, his Uncle still seething and his aunt looking at the floor, her bony face halfway between a glare and a grimace. Harry reached his cupboard and pulled it open. Sirius tensed again but quickly loosed at Harry’s little wince. 

“I’m going to have a word with Petunia and Vernon,” Dumbledore murmured, following them out of the kitchen and walking past them but glancing into the cupboard where Harry stayed. 

“Harry, is there anything you’d like to take here?” Sirius asked and Harry looked at him, a little confused. Sirius couldn’t help but glare at the overly large hand-me-downs that littered the small space and the half-broken toys that were scattered on the bed. 

“This is all I got,” Harry told him, looking back at Sirius who glanced down at Harry, a frown teasing his lips. 

“I mean to say that we would get you all new things if you wanted. New clothes that fit, some new toys, books, a bed, whatever you need and whatever you want,” Sirius explained and Harry frowned.

“That’s okay, that’d be really expensive and I don’t want to be a burden,” Harry said steadily and Sirius let out a laugh that vaguely sounded like a bark but then smiled at Harry. Though Harry could see the anger behind his eyes that he hoped wasn’t for him.

“Harry, you could never be a burden to me. You are my responsibility and it is my job to care for you, provide for you, and give you whatever you need. I am more than capable of doing so and even more, I want to do so. Harry, you are my godson and maybe this is too much too soon but I love you very much, I have ever since you were born. It would be a pleasure to get you anything you need,” Sirius explained kindly, the anger behind his eyes dissipating with every word. 

“You love me?” Harry asked, bewildered. No one has ever said that to him, not that he can ever remember.

“Very much,” Sirius answered. 

Harry bit his lip and turned back to his small amount of possessions before looking back at Sirius and shaking his head. “I don’t think there’s anything I want to keep, er, if that’s alright,” he said and Sirius smiled at him. 

“That’s alright,” Sirius reassured and Harry nodded firmly. 

“I say it’s safe to get out of here then, what do you think?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded fervently. 

“Never look back,” he said once again and Sirius winked at him. 

They left the cupboard under the stairs and found Dumbledore speaking with Vernon and Petunia. “Harry won’t be coming back—“

“Good riddance,” Vernon sneered and Harry felt Sirius tense up next to him. 

”Oi!” the man barked. 

“Sirius—“ Dumbledore said, his voice a little steely. 

“I want a word when you’re done, Albus,” Sirius hissed. Dumbledore merely sighed and resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to stop the young man from getting his word in. 

“Very well, I’ll just say this then,” Dumbledore continued, “Harry is a child deserving of love and care, a simple matter I asked you to attend to after the death of his parents. As Lily’s last living relatives I thought he would be safe here. I can see now I have been gravely mistaken—“

“He’s a troublemaker! And a weirdo, like the rest of your kind!” Vernon spat and Dumbledore looked unfazed.

“Please do not interrupt me again,” Dumbledore spoke calmly. “You have done a disservice to both Lily and her son. I will also be contacting Muggle child services to come investigate the rest of your home. And I am sure you will not object when I ask you do not attempt to contact young Mr. Potter in the future.”

“Easily,” Vernon hissed and Dumbledore smiled serenely. 

“Very well then, we shall be going although I fear Sirius would like a word with you and I rather suggest you accept. He is as persistent as he is loyal,” Dumbledore finished and Sirius grinned rather harshly. 

“Harry, my boy, please step out with me,” Dumbledore said softly and Harry looked up at Sirius who nodded. 

“I will be out in a minute, go on,” Sirius spoke gently still and Harry nodded, stepping forward to grab the old man’s outstretched hand.

“Bye then,” Harry said absently, a small shy smile peaking out on his face that caused rage to center on his Uncle’s face. Petunia didn’t even spare him a glance. 

“Nothing too harsh, Mr. Black,” Dumbledore murmured to Sirius as he followed behind Harry. 

“Don’t worry, Albus. I’ve been exonerated of all crimes, none of which I ever committed,” Sirius grinned.

Dumbledore led Harry out the front door, the old man shutting it behind him on his way out but Harry still heard the shouting. 

“A FUCKING CUPBOARD! LILY AND JAMES’S SON IN A CUPBOARD! YOU FOUL EXCUSE FOR HUMANS—“

“Mr. Dumbledore,” Harry started, obviously uneasy with all the yelling Sirius is doing. 

Dumbledore merely sat on the front steps and Harry followed suit. “He’s not angry with you, Harry. Sirius is a very emotional young man and your parent’s death greatly affected him. Please don’t judge him on his actions with your relatives, he truly only wants the best for you, and seeing how much they mistreated you greatly upset him. He’s just letting them, as they say, have it,” Dumbledore explained calmly and Harry loosened the tension in his shoulders.

“I don’t like them very much,” Harry admitted and Dumbledore nodded in agreement. 

“Nor I. They are, how Sirius put, foul excuses for humans,” Dumbledore answered, a level of cheerfulness in his voice. “You will never have to see them again,” the old man stated and they fell into silence with only Sirius’s shouting to fill the void. 

“YOU HORSE FACED MAGGOT, YOU DIDN’T DESERVE THAT TIME WITH HIM AND I WAS THE ONE LOCKED AWAY FOR CRIMES I NEVER COMMITTED. YOU LOT ARE THE ONES WHO SHOULD BE LOCKED UP FOREVER, FOR DOING THAT TO A CHILD! TO DOING WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO YOUR SISTER’S SON!”

There was a brief pause in shouting before Sirius’s voice picked up again.

“YOU CLOSE THAT PIG LOOKING FACE OF YOURS! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HIT HIM, WHO HURT HIM FOR THINGS THAT WERE OUT OF HIS CONTROL! LET ALONE HITTING A CHILD AT ALL!”

There was more silence and then shrieking that sounded like it came from Petunia and shouting that came from Vernon. “Ah, it seems he is done,” Dumbledore said, a bit of perk in his voice. 

And not a second later did Sirius throw open the front door and stomp out. “Better?” Dumbledore asked. 

“Much,” Sirius replied, his voice a little hoarse but his demeanor very calm.

“What did you do?” Dumbledore asked.

“Little bit of this, little bit of that.”

“Sirius—“

“Oh alright you bugger, Petunia’s eyebrows are flashing red and blue, Vernon’s got some pig ears pointing out of his piggy head,” Sirius cut in with a roll of his eyes, and when Dumbledore gave him a look he sighed. “It’ll all wear off in a day or so, I made sure it wasn’t permanent,” he finished, exasperated. 

Harry was very confused. Surely they were exaggerating or must’ve been talking in some sort of code or something. But at that moment, he was too focused on leaving Privet Drive forever. Although Harry was soon to find out Sirius was in fact not talking about some sort of code or jargon as Uncle Vernon came bounding out of the house shouting, no longer caring if the neighbors saw anything. “YOU PUT US BACK RIGHT! YOU FREAK QUEERS!” Vernon roared and Harry frowned. His uncle was close enough to all them to land a hit but he looked more scared than anything, his little piggy eyes bulging that did in fact match the pig ears that had magically sprouted from the top of his head. 

Harry looked to Dumbledore and Sirius, still frowning, not fond of the way his uncle had talked to these two nice people he just met. Dumbledore looked rather upset, very different from the serene look he’d had the entire time he spent inside Number 4 Privet Drive. Sirius, on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted with glee, a smile on his face that looked as though it belonged on his face. Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something but Sirius was the one to stop him this time rather than the other way around. He started laughing at the situation. 

“No, no, Albus. We need to clarify something. Excuse me, but you’re going to have to be more specific Dursley, which queer are referring to exactly?” Sirius’s voice was impeccably polite as he grinned at the large man in front of him, gesturing between himself and Dumbledore. Dumbledore rolled his eyes but Harry saw a smile playing at his face. 

Vernon gaped at the two men on his pristine lawn until he finally recovered enough to grab hold of Harry by the scruff of his neck. Harry yelped and his eyes widened in terror; he looked at Sirius who’s entire face immediately darkened. Dumbledore’s face also showed signs of outrage but he managed some composure still unlike the man next to him. 

“Let him go,” Sirius growled, each word pronounced slowly and purposefully.

Vernon sneered a nasty grin and spoke loudly yet, “Fix us or never see him again.”

“You know you won’t be able to stop either of us,” Sirius snarled, the stick of wood quickly sliding out of his left sleeve again but Dumbledore’s smile had returned. 

“Or perhaps you’d rather take a look around, a glance at your neighbor. There’s been a lot of shouting recently, seems to have stirred some residents of your streets,” Dumbledore pointed out, gesturing mildly to the people who lived in the surrounding houses poking their heads out of their doors or peering through their windows to see what’s happening on their usually quiet, boring street. Vernon went silent and Harry could almost picture his Uncle’s face at the scene. 

Though Harry also recognized the panic inside him and would very much rather get away from his Uncle rather than face his wrath. He said he’d take him back from Sirius and Dumbledore and Harry wasn’t going to let that happen. He might not know either of them very well, at all really, but he’d rather chance it with two strangers that have treated kinder than his Uncle and Aunt had ever treated him rather than go back inside to Privet Drive. So seizing his Uncle’s moment of stunned silence, Harry twisted free from his uncle’s grip and stumbled away only to immediately turn and face him. 

“Sod off!” Harry shouted in his moment of anger, delivering a kick to his Uncle shins and scurrying away quickly to hide behind Sirius and Dumbledore.

His moment of bravery quickly left him as he feared for his Uncle’s reaction but there was none. At least not immediately. Harry peaked from behind his saviors and saw his Uncle’s face screwed up in pain and outrage. He realized Sirius was laughing loudly again. 

“Well then, I think that clears everything up,” Sirius managed to say through his laughter. “As my adorable godson just said, sod off.” Sirius turned and looked to Harry grinning. 

He heard Dumbledore talking again but he was only really focusing on Sirius at that moment. “I’m going to pick you, alright Harry?” Sirius said softly, the grin still on his face. Harry’s face flickered with a smile as he nodded and the man leaned down and grabbed Harry from underneath his armpits. He put one arm underneath Harry’s legs and used the other one to steady Harry’s upper body. 

“Let’s go, Sirius,” Dumbledore said sharply. Sirius didn’t need to be told twice but he used the hand that wasn’t holding Harry on his hip and made a very rude gesture to the portly man behind him. Harry giggled quietly and Sirius looked at him with fondness in his eyes. 

“Never look back, pup,” Sirius told him and Harry nodded, allowing himself to fully smile this time. 

~

The trio left Privet Drive, Sirius and Dumbledore walking rather quickly to where there was a car waiting at the end of the street. Dumbledore entered first and Sirius leaned into seat Harry in the middle before sliding in himself. “Back to the Ministry, headmaster?” the man at the wheel asked cheerfully. 

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” Dumbledore answered happily. 

“That was brilliant, Harry,” Sirius howled as the driver started to drive the car away from Privet Drive and Harry realized he truly would never return. 

“Couldn’t tell if that was more James or Lily,” Sirius snickered and Harry smiled at the praise. 

“It was entirely Harry,” Dumbledore supplied, a slight frown tugging at his face and Sirius rolled his eyes but nodded. “Although, perhaps he shouldn’t get used to telling people to sod off, Sirius,” Dumbledore said pointedly and Sirius waved him away. 

“It was only because it was Uncle Vernon,” Harry mumbled sheepishly and Sirius softly rested an arm around Harry’s shoulders. Harry didn’t flinch. “I didn’t like how he was talking to you and I didn’t want to go back inside,” he admitted and Sirius sighed a sigh that sounded rather relaxed.

“Nevertheless, it was iconic, pup,” Sirius stated and Harry smiled as his cheeks grew red. 

The car was silent for a while but Harry started to feel a little uncomfortable and he started to squirm a little. He had so many questions but he didn’t know if he was allowed to ask them or if he even knew how to ask them. But he was also so tired, the morning wore him out and he had gotten up early as usual to make breakfast. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was exhausted. Both Sirius and Dumbledore seemed to notice and exchanged a nod. 

“Harry, I’m sure you have many questions,” Dumbledore nodded and Harry looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. It was involuntary, he couldn’t help how tired he was but he still nodded. “There will be plenty of time for questions when you arrive home with Sirius so why don’t you rest until then,” Dumbledore said gently but Harry didn’t really like that idea, he still didn’t know these people. 

He went to protest but another hand found itself gently tangling itself into Harry’s hair and fingers began to run through it, calming him even more despite his initial wince at the contact. It felt good and gentle and it was something no one had even done for him before. “Harry, I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” Sirius said softly and Harry began to lean towards the younger man. “You’re safe right now, I promise. I’ll be here when you wake, we might even be home. But you’ll be safe and I won’t leave you. I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you, pup,” Sirius continued to reassure and Harry’s head found itself landing on Sirius’s chest. He decided he could trust him, just this once at least. “Rest, Prongslet,” Sirius murmured and Harry didn’t mind doing as he was told.

~

Harry’s breathing evened out but Sirius didn’t stop running his hand through the boy’s hair, afraid that stopping would cause him to stir. “He is better than I ever dreamed he could be,” Sirius said quietly and Dumbledore nodded. Dumbledore casted a wordless _silencio _charm to keep their conversation quiet from the driver’s prying ears.__

____

____

“I am glad I decided to come with you,” Dumbledore stated and Sirius held back his glare. Had the old man believed him beforehand, Sirius would’ve had Harry living with him long before now. Had he been given a fair trial, had Dumbledore bothered to even ask him anything before assuming anything, Harry wouldn’t have had to face the Dursleys' abuse. 

“I know you’re still upset with me, Sirius,” Dumbledore said gravely and Sirius kept his eyes firmly on Harry, watching the boy shift in his sleep so he was using Sirius’s lap as a pillow. “You have every right to be, of course,” Dumbledore continued when it was clear that Sirius wasn’t going to reply. 

“I am not talking about this with Harry here,” Sirius said evenly but he felt his anger bubbling underneath his question and he couldn’t help but look at the bruises and welts that were scattered on Harry’s small body. It only made him angrier. 

“We’re going to have to talk about it eventually,” Dumbledore replied, his voice calm but Sirius couldn’t help but snort. He knows what Dumbledore wanted to talk about. He wanted Sirius to let him have more access to Harry and to have Harry grow up in a magicless environment, well at least away from the magic world. He wanted to be a bigger part of Harry’s life so he could ensure that Harry would do whatever Dumbledore wanted him to do when the time comes. Sirius wouldn’t let that happen.

“Albus, I’ve told you once and I am not budging. Harry is going to be raised with love and kindness, he’s going to feel welcomed and he is going to be happy. I will not stand to have you try and mold him into some sort of tool for your use. Harry is bright, he is kind, he will be a fantastic wizard. And he will have me and Remus. I know you have your concerns and I promise I have the same or similar ones but Harry is still a child and he is still a person,” Sirius told him fiercely but quietly. Harry makes no signs of waking though, the kid was dead on his feet as soon as he sat in the car. 

“Sirius, I understand where you are coming from. I admit I can be short sighted but Harry was still better protected with Lily’s sister,” Dumbledore stated. And when Sirius turned to him with an eyebrow raised and half a mind to hex his daylights out, Dumbledore hurried a quick explanation. “In terms of wards, my boy, not at all in any other sense.”

Sirius huffed a little but was glad that the man acknowledged the harm that came to Harry, for a while it was hard to convince Dumbledore that something wasn’t right with Harry’s relatives. “I have taken every precaution and will continue to take every precaution needed to ensure Harry’s safety. I don’t intend on messing this up, I’ve already taken a blood oath and the Black Cottage has wards that are centuries old,” Sirius reiterated and Dumbledore sighed. 

“I will admit I am nervous,” Dumbledore said and Sirius smiled a little. 

“That’s alright, Albus. It’s alright to be nervous about things. But everything will be okay. Harry will stay with us for the next year, I want time with him and to nurture him. And then the year next, I’ll get him back into primary where he can make some friends,” Sirius explained, staring fondly at Harry’s mop of messy black hair. 

“But?” Dumbledore asked, knowing he heard the cadence in Sirius' voice that meant he had thought of saying more but didn’t. 

“You won’t be happy. But you can’t stop me,” Sirius said cryptically, pausing for a minute. “I’m going to introduce him to the Weasleys.”

“Sirius—“ Dumbledore said fiercely and the younger man held up his hand. 

“I won’t take him out to Diagon Alley or the larger wizard settlements, that much we see eye to eye on. But it won’t hurt for him to have another wizard friend, or a few, around his age. And Molly Weasley is a kind woman who’d be more than willing to watch Harry when Remus or I need to be away. Trust me on this one thing,” Sirius explained and Dumbledore huffed a little. 

“I am trusting you with a lot Sirius,” Dumbledore told him and Sirius nodded. 

“Consider it repayment for my years in Azkaban, Albus. This much you owe me,” Sirius stated easily, still not rising to look the old man in the eye. He didn’t much care at the moment, only Harry mattered now. And Remus too. Sirius couldn’t wait for Harry to meet Remus — again. Dumbledore didn’t say anything else and Sirius was glad for it, the old man could sod off.


	2. Welcome to the Black Family Cottage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is a bit of a long one, i originally had this as two separate chapters but i feel like they were better as one. furthermore, the next chapter is already written out mostly is even longer than this one...its over 10,000 words already...
> 
> anyway. remus is here! harry learns about magic! there’s some difficult conversations in this chapter nearer the end about sexuality and race. i will take any constructive criticism on that scene and make sure i am conveying the right message and tone, these are important issues and i don’t want to fuck up their portrayal 
> 
> but as always, enjoy!!!

The driver dropped them off in Muggle London, right by the entrance to the Ministry. Neither of them intended to go into the Ministry, rather it was a place that both of them could leave from more inconspicuously than in Surrey. Sirius took care of properly modifying the driver's memory so he thinks he went for a little authorized joyride and not to retrieve Harry Potter from his relatives. It was safer that way so no one would know where the boy was going and no one could track them down easily. Dumbledore offered to do it himself but Sirius still had trouble trusting the man with very much and thought better of it. Sirius had been doing a lot on his own as of recent times, choosing not to rely on other people so as not to make similar mistakes as he had in the past. Harry, meanwhile, slept through it all only stirring briefly when Sirius had taken him out of the car. 

Dumbledore and Sirius exchanged few words after having arrived in London and Sirius felt a surge of annoyance when the older man brought up Remus’s furry little problem. 

“Sirius, the lycanthropy—“

“Has been discussed, reviewed, and accounted for. Both Remus and myself have taken the proper precautions to ensure Harry’s safety at the full moon,” Sirius cut dryly. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn’t be the last person to question Remus’s affliction but Sirius would have no problem telling them to stick it up their ass. In a much more neater and well-thought-out way, of course. 

Dumbledore stared for a second before giving Sirius a curt nod. “Right then, well owl me with any concerns and if you need any help. I’ll be sure to contact Muggle child services and see to the investigation of the Dursleys,” the skilled wizard told him and Sirius only nodded in reply, knowing full well he’d rather go Muggle bowling then contact Dumbledore again until Harry was to go off to Hogwarts.

“Well, take care,” Sirius said rather shortly and stepped towards the entrance to the Tube. He didn’t spare Dumbledore another glance but he knew that man wouldn’t follow him into the Underground, Dumbledore would Apparate at one of the safe locations and he wouldn’t be able to follow Sirius or Harry. That was part of the reason Sirius decided to take the Tube. 

Sirius purchased two tickets for the pair of them and carried Harry through the station, making sure he was mostly hidden from view of others while they waited. Once the train arrived, Sirius stepped into a more crowded compartment to give them a little more cover but still allowed Sirius to sit down with Harry, letting the boy continue to sleep. He had not stirred since arriving in London but once the train started chugging along Sirius heard a small groan. 

“It was a dream, it was a dream,” Harry repeated to himself quietly and Sirius frowned. 

“What was a dream pup?” Sirius asked softly, moving his hand to gently rub Harry’s back. 

The boy in question snapped his head up and stared at Sirius with his great big green eyes that showed a combination of fear and awe. 

“That you were real,” Harry said, not meeting Sirius’s eyes. 

“I promise I’m real,” the older man told the boy and Harry yawned wildly and nodded. 

“That’s good, that's good,” he said and Sirius could hear the delirium in Harry’s voice still. 

“Go back to sleep, Harry, we’ll be home soon,” Sirius told him, continuing to rub gentle circles on his back. Within minutes, Harry was out like a light again. 

If Sirius were being honest, he’d rather have Harry sleep then because he did plan on Apparating with the kid once they reached King’s Cross but he knew it wasn’t going to sit well with the boy's stomach. He’d rather have Harry asleep and wake up nauseous rather than have him be fussy before and after. 

Sirius emerged from the Underground ten minutes later, continuing to hold Harry close to his chest and the child continued to sleep. Sirius looked around to see if anyone was watching the pair of them before slipping into an alleyway just behind the station. He took a deep breath and focused his mind on the cottage and pop! Harry started bawling his eyes out. 

While Harry’s crying moans filled his ears, the smell of seawater filled Sirius’s nostrils and he looked in front of him to see the rather lofty Black family cottage by the sea. He remembered only visiting it once but he remembered it as one of his favorite of the Black family homes. It was near the English Channel as well so there were a lot of French speakers and not a lot of onlookers who’d necessarily be looking for the Boy Who Lived. 

Sirius immediately began shushing Harry and bouncing him a little in his arms. “It’s alright pup, it’s alright. You’re safe, it’s alright. We’re home,” Sirius hushed, murmuring words of calming nature and it didn’t take very long for Harry’s cries to simmer out into a few whimpers here and there. 

“Sirius?” Harry asked quietly.

“What’s up, pup?” Sirius asked. 

“It’s really you?” 

“Yes.”

“And we’re h-home?” Harry sniffled at the word and Sirius smiled softly. 

“We’re home,” the older man confirmed and Harry took his head off his shoulder to look at Sirius. His face was a little green but that was probably just from the aftermath of Apparition. Harry’s mouth slowly turned up on the sides into a reserved smile and Sirius' heart warmed up. 

“How are you feeling, Harry? We had a long journey and a business morning. Hungry? Thirsty? Wanna sleep a little more?” Sirius asked and Harry’s smile faltered a bit. 

Harry started to look a little uncomfortable so Sirius sat him on the front stone steps on the house and joined in next to him. “What are you thinking?” Sirius asked. 

“Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia said I had to earn food,” Harry revealed, his brow furrowing. “Is there anything I need to do?” he asked after and Sirius’s hands tightened into fists. He wished he could’ve done more to those Muggles, he wished so badly. But he calmed himself down because they didn’t matter anymore, only Harry mattered now. 

“Harry, your aunt and uncle, they were wrong to do that to you. You are allowed to eat without having earned it; you are loved here, and you will be cared for here. I will tell you as many times as I need to that it is my job to protect you, feed you, clothe you, love you, everything. You are my godson and I want nothing more than to help you grow into a wonderful person so you can tell me anything. You can tell me you’re hungry and I’ll make sure you eat,” Sirius explained and when Harry nodded, Sirius smiled. “That also means you can tell me when you don’t feel good, like if your belly hurts or is upset,” he continued and when Harry’s head snapped to look at Sirius, the man gave him a pointed look. 

“How’d you know?” Harry asked and Sirius laughed softly. 

“The way we traveled is bound to make even some adults feel a little sick. So, what do you say, Harry,” Sirius explained easily and the boy shrugged but let out a wild yawn. 

“Kind of sleepy, a little hungry,” Harry murmured and Sirius nodded. 

“Alright, well why don’t we head inside and you can have some lunch and then take another nap,” Sirius proposed and Harry nodded easily. “And there’s someone inside I want you to meet, he was also a friend of your parents. He and your mum would always study together and make fun of me and your dad when we were being silly,” Sirius told him and Harry’s eyes went wide. 

“Okay,” Harry agreed but Sirius can tell he was apprehensive. And he had every right to be, considering where he had been living just a few hours ago. 

“Can I pick you up?” Sirius asked. He knew the boy could walk but Sirius just wanted to be close to him at this point. 

Harry wordlessly nodded and Sirius leaned down and scooped the boy up, resting him back on his hip. 

“Can I ask a question?” Harry posed, his voice small and Sirius chuckled. 

“Of course, you can ask as many questions as you want. Don’t be afraid to come to me with your questions, pup,” Sirius answered. 

“Where’s Mr. Dumbledore?” Harry fired off immediately. 

“He’s a busy man, Harry. He just came with me to get you, he wanted to see things for himself,” Sirius answered, feeling his own nerves flair a little a bit. 

Sirius continued to tread down the long pathway to the front house of the cottage. “What’s this new person’s name?” Harry asked hesitantly. 

“Remus Lupin,” Sirius said, a content smile finding its way to his face. He couldn’t help but smile at Remus’s name ever. 

Finally, Sirius reached the door and pushed it open to reveal a large living room. “He must be making food for us, do you want to go find him?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded. 

Before they could even step further into the threshold, another voice rang out from further in the house. 

“Padfoot? Is that you?” 

~

Remus was cutting the sandwiches he made into triangles for Sirius’s return with Harry. He spent over ten minutes meticulously debating in his head whether or not Harry would prefer his sandwiches to be cut into triangles or sliced down the middle vertically or sliced in half horizontally. (Remus secretly hoped Harry would never want his sandwiches cut horizontally, the thought made Remus’s skin crawl.) He decided on triangles because, well, he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps there was a sort of childish charm to sandwiches cut into triangles. 

The lemonade was mixed and ready for consumption, the table had been set with plates and glasses, and there was a bag of crisps on the kitchen counter. Dumbledore had told him and Sirius that Harry would likely be coming from a rather traumatizing living situation. It made Remus’s anger flare worse than it had in a long time knowing that Harry, sweet innocent Harry, was living in a house that didn’t care for him the way he deserved to be cared for. It made him feel guilty for never pushing harder to see the kid or even check-in to see how he’d been doing. Remus regretted many things from the last few years but the decision to raise Harry with Sirius would not be one of them. Remus would make sure of it. 

Since Sirius’s return from Azkaban, Remus knew rather well how people in traumatic environments reacted to extravagant displays of affection right off the bat. He still felt shame seep through his body every time he remembered the vacant look on Sirius’s face when Remus had insisted on being overly cheerful and that they should’ve had a fancy-ish dinner to celebrate Sirius’s release. It took him a minute to realize that all Sirius wanted was to feel _normal _and that the show Remus was putting on was making him feel worse than better. After reflecting on it all, Remus came to realize that it was his own guilt that pushed him to want to do something a little more over the top and special for Sirius. His guilt masked itself in a disgustingly jovial persona over a topic that, on the whole, was not something celebratory. Remus regretted many things from the last few years but falling in love with Sirius had not and would not be one of them.__

____

____

Remus was a bit nervous to reacquaint himself with James’s son but he was excited all the same. That was why the sandwiches must have been cut into perfect triangles and the lemonade could not be too sweet and not too sour. He was tasked with preparing lunch for the three of them and he would make sure it is as perfect as he could make it. It was the least he could do in the almost-five years of neglect of his best friend’s son. Oh how he pictured Lily Evans Potter glaring at him and yelling at him every other night or in the early hours of the morning, he would see James Potter giving him a disapproving and angry glare that did not belong on his usually bright and happy face. He hated himself for it. 

But now, he could no longer dwell on what was. He must focus on his sandwiches. That was until he heard the front door open and close, muffled voices carrying lightly through the space to his ears. He could smell Sirius and Harry, although he wasn’t quite ready for the sorrow that came with realizing Harry smelt like a combination of his mother and father. Oranges, pine, and something distinctly campfire-like. (There was a hint of too-strong cleaner there as well but he chalked it up to the Dursleys and would guess it to be gone by the next time the boy showered.) His heart clenched. But he still called out. 

“Padfoot? Is that you?” 

When he didn’t hear footsteps nearing the kitchen, only more muffled voices that he can’t make out any words to, his feet took him towards the living room. Near the front door was his husband and a small boy who could only be Harry, he had James’s brown skin and unruly black hair (and his terrible eyesight he could guess judging by the circular glasses that sit on his small face) but even from the distance he was at, he could see Lily’s brilliant green eyes. 

“Hey, it’s okay buddy, it’s alright,” Sirius cooed softly, rubbing the boys back. Remus could see how tense the child was in his lover's arms and he immediately felt guilt surging through him. 

It took a minute but Harry finally seemed to relax a little but his face still seemed alert to any danger. Remus hated those Muggles and he didn’t even know the whole story. He hated them for making Harry so afraid and so untrusting. He hated them for hurting him so much at such a young age. 

“Harry,” Sirius said after a minute of calming the boy down, “This is Remus.” Sirius gestured to where he was standing across the room and Harry finally looked at him completely with a face that Remus couldn’t exactly read. 

“Hi, Harry,” Remus said softly but loud enough so it carried to the front of the room. 

“Hi,” the boy said back quietly. 

“Can we go further inside?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded. 

Sirius took soft steps inside the house but bigger ones so he could reach Remus quicker and pull him into a side arm hug and place a quick peck on his lips. “Harry, would you like some lunch?” Remus asked, addressing the child first and Harry screwed up his face for a minute before nodding slowly. 

“Yes, please.”

“Alright, let’s go to the kitchen,” Remus said, leading the way.

Sirius let Harry down into one of the chairs that were between him and where Remus would sit. There was already a full glass of lemonade and plate waiting for him.

“What kind of sandwich do you like, Harry?” Remus asked, moving behind the island to grab the platter. “We have all kinds.”

“Erm,” Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair before frowning. “I’ve only ever had cheese sandwiches,” he revealed and Sirius found Remus’s gaze before mouthing “later”. 

“Well that’s alright, they almost all have cheese,” Remus stated, finding his footing again. 

“Some don’t, cheese makes me a little gassy if you know what I mean,” Sirius said in a tone that sounded like a secret and it made Harry giggle. Sirius tossed a wink to the kid and Harry actually smiled back. 

Remus set the platter of sandwiches on the table between the three of them. “There’s turkey and cheese, ham and cheese, turkey lettuce and tomato, and ham cheese and tomato,” Remus explained and Harry nodded. “And you can mix and match anything you want with them, if you want lettuce, take lettuce from another one and put it on yours,” Remus instructed and Harry nodded again. 

Remus grabbed the bag of crisps before taking his own seat and he watched as Harry moved first. Remus followed Sirius’s lead in letting the boy pick first so he would know that it’s alright and that he could have whatever he wanted. Harry reached for a turkey and cheese, slowly followed by a ham cheese and tomato. Harry then put his arms down by his sides and looked between his godfather and Remus who looked at him for another moment before grabbing their own sandwiches. 

“Go on, Harry. Don’t be afraid to eat,” Sirius told him softly and Harry nodded and then picked up the turkey and cheese to take a bite out of it. And that was how the rest of lunch proceeded, no talking really, just eating. And Harry ate. He picked up two sandwiches originally but after he finished them, he looked at the rest of the platter. 

Sirius noticed. 

“You can have more, pup,” he told him and Remus nodded in agreement. 

“Go at it, eat as much as you’d like. We have crisps too if you’d like some of those,” Remus interjected and Harry’s small hands were already pulling a triangle of turkey lettuce and tomato into his mouth. Without a second thought, Remus tugged open the bag of crisps and dumped a generous amount on Harry’s plate and then Sirius’s and his own. 

Harry ate every last piece of food and drank all the lemonade. Remus felt good about the meal he prepared. As Remus stood to clear the plates, Harry looked up at him with his eyebrows raised. 

“What’s up, pup?” Remus asked, picking up all three plates. 

“Who’s Padfoot?” he asked and Remus smiled endearingly at him and then turned to Sirius. 

“Sirius is Padfoot,” he answered easily. 

“And Remus is Moony,” Sirius said right after. 

“Oh,” Harry answered easily and looked down at the table. Remus noticed the way the boys shoulders sagged forward and smiled lightly. 

“Still sleepy, Harry?” Sirius asked gently. Harry nodded. 

“Why don’t you take another nap then, alright?” Sirius offered as Remus deposited the plates and the glasses into the sink. 

“Alright,” Harry yawned. 

“You can sleep on the couch if you’d like, or I can show you to your room and you can sleep there for a little,” Sirius offered and Harry let out a very cute ‘hmm’. 

“Can I sleep on the couch?” the boy asked quietly and Sirius nodded. 

“Of course, let's get you set up. I’ll stay with you if you want,” Sirius proses and Harry nodded again.

“Want me to carry you there?” Sirius asked, pushing his chair back. 

Harry just held out his arms and Remus saw the sleep taking over his face, his eyelids drooped slightly and his body overall lethargic. 

Sirius leaned down and scooped up the kid easily while Remus followed them into the spacious living room that sat just off the small dining area. Sirius sat down with Harry on the couch and the boy crawled off him but rested his head in Sirius’s lap. A little shocked at first, Sirius froze for a moment before grabbing the blanket that was draped over the arm of the couch and placed it over Harry. 

Remus sat in the armchair that was positioned closest to Sirius and within seconds, Harry was passed out, drool peeking out from his opened mouth. 

“How bad?” Remus asked quietly and without looking at Sirius. 

“Bad,” Sirius answered, equally as quiet. “He’s got a few lash marks on his arms and legs that we should maybe put some salve on, help them heal,” he continued, watching his godson sleep with his head on Sirius’s lap.

“Lash marks? Like a— a wh—“

“It was a belt,” Sirius cut in and looked at Remus finally. “Moony—“

“No one will ever hurt him like that again,” Remus growled, his eyes showing clear signs of anger. Normally eyes that were green with specks of gold were now ringed with amber that slowly encroached the iris. Sirius knew it was the lycanthropy that turned them that way when he was feeling a lot of emotions and he knew Remus was passionate about this. He knew he cared for Harry, he thought the wolf deep in his subconscious had already come to recognize the boy as one of his own. A part of his pack. Sirius smiled softly. 

“I love you, Rem,” Sirius said gently. There was so much more to talk about, so much more to unpack. But right then, that was all Sirius could bear to say. And Remus faltered a bit in his rigid stance and returned the soft smile. The amber receded.

“I love you too.”

~

Harry woke up around dinner time but he was still rather full from lunch. He hadn’t eaten that much since...well, since ever really. But Sirius told him he could eat as much as he wanted to and Harry figured he’d better take him up on that offer while it was there. He was sure he probably wouldn’t even get a sniff of dinner tonight but maybe he would get breakfast in the morning, as long as he behaved well the rest of the night. Harry blinked his eyes open and saw that it was still light outside and that his head was still resting on Sirius’s lap. He jerked himself upward. How could he be so dumb like that, that was an invasion of Sirius’s personal space. He looked behind himself at Sirius quickly and realized that Sirius had been talking to him since he sat up.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped and Sirius frowned a little.

“Why are you sorry, Harry?” the man asked and Harry swallowed hard.

“I— I slept on you and I didn’t ask. I took up your space,” Harry sputtered, trying to keep the tears at bay. Crying would only make it worse, he thought. 

“Harry,” Sirius started softly. “Harry, come here.” Slowly Sirius enveloped Harry in his arms and gave him a hug. 

“Please don’t apologize to me about sleeping on my lap. It was not an inconvenience and you did not take up too much space. I promise. You don’t have to ever be sorry for wanting affection from me or needing anything from me. You are safe here, love. You are wanted here. I will do whatever I can to make sure you're as comfortable as can be and if that means napping on my lap or climbing into bed with me in the middle of the night or eating as much food as you’d like,” Sirius explained gently and Harry couldn’t help but silently let out a few tears. He didn’t know what he did to deserve a person like Sirius and he didn’t know how long this was going to last but all his six-year-old brain could register was a warm feeling spreading all throughout his body. It was the same feeling he had at Privet Drive in the very beginning of the day except now he felt it tenfold. 

“Thank you,” Harry mumbled, letting his head fall onto Sirius’s shoulder. 

“Absolutely no thanks necessary, Harry. Thank you for letting me take care of you,” Sirius answered back and Harry continued to cry quietly on Sirius’s shoulder, getting his t-shirt a little wet in the process. 

“Hey, there you two are,” Remus said softly, coming into the room from the kitchen. Harry just noticed that he could, in fact, smell dinner. “Everything alright?” Remus asked and Sirius nodded. 

“Just letting Harry know how much we love him,” Sirius responded, using a hand to rub Harry’s back again. 

“Well can I say something, then?” Remus asked and Harry looked up from Sirius' shoulder when the latter responded with an easy nod. “Harry, I know we don’t know each other very well yet but I’m so so incredibly happy you are living here with me and Sirius. I’m sure Sirius told you he’s known you since you’ve been born and so have I, and I have loved you ever since. And I’m terribly sorry that it’s taken so long for you to live with us and for us to become a family,” Remus said gently and Harry only nodded. He had the same question he had for Sirius before: why did he have to live with the Dursleys for so long? But before he asked it, Sirius spoke first. 

“Harry, I know you have so many questions and you can ask all of them, Remus and I will do what we can to answer them, alright?” Harry nodded again and Sirius stood up, holding onto Harry who let out an involuntary whimper. “Shh, it’s alright, pup. We’re just going to the kitchen, alright? Are you hungry?”

“A little,” Harry answered, trying to not sound like he was whining. 

“That’s alright, Remus made us some soup so you can have as much or as little as you’d like. And we can talk over dinner and try to answer some of your questions. That sound like a plan?” Sirius offered and Harry only nodded again. “Alright, let’s go. Remus, lead the way.”

Harry watched Remus walk into the kitchen as Sirius put Harry back into the chair he ate lunch in. 

“What kind of soup?” Harry asked tentatively. 

“It’s a traditional Welsh soup called Cawl. It’s full of bacon, potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, brisket, and a few other things. Does that sound alright?” Remus answered and Harry nodded. It sounded really great actually, Harry had only ever had chicken broth usually. Sometimes chicken and rice soup if he had behaved especially well. But now, he was eating Cawl with Remus and Sirius and he didn’t understand what he’d done to receive so much kindness but he was thankful. 

Remus ladled three bowls to the brim with Cawl and set them in front of Harry and Sirius first before sitting down with his own bowl. The three of them started eating and Harry took his time, wanting to savor the home cooked meal Remus had prepared for them. Five minutes into dinner, Sirius spoke.

“Now Harry, as I said earlier, I’m sure you have many questions. Remus and I have some things we have to explain to you that will maybe help answer those questions as well, alright?” Harry nodded. “I’m going to start with a question of my own, then. If that’s alright with you.” Another nod. “Do you know how your parents died, Harry?” Sirius' voice was very faint and he looked as though the question hurt to ask. Remus was staring intently at his soup.

“In a car crash,” Harry answered carefully. The Dursleys told him that the first time he asked and then snapped at him to not ask any questions. 

Sirius sighed and murmured something to himself that caused alarms to raise in his head but before he could say anything, Sirius looked at him with great sadness in his eyes. “No, Harry. That is not how your parents died. I’m guessing that’s what your aunt and uncle told you, right? Well, they were never fond of your parents because your parents were...different. Different in a really wonderful way. Remus and I are different in that same way too, and so are you,” Sirius explained gently and Harry wrinkled an eyebrow. 

“I— I don’t understand,” Harry frowned. “My mum and dad died in a car crash, that’s how I got my scar.” His six year old hand reached up and touched the lightning scar that spiraled out on his forehead. 

“No, Harry,” Remus spoke this time. “This isn’t going to be easy to hear.” Really it wasn’t easy for Remus and Sirius to talk about either. “Harry, your mum and dad were killed by a very bad man, his name was Voldemort. He was trying to get to you but your parents protected you,” Remus explained. 

“How?” Harry asked, confused. 

“Well remember how Sirius just said your parents were different, and you’re different too? That’s to say that you have magic, and your parents had magic too. Sirius and I have magic,” Remus explained and Harry frowned. Uncle Vernon told him many times, very loudly, that magic doesn’t exist. 

“Magic isn’t real,” Harry stated firmly. Remus and Sirius both smiled. 

“Did your aunt and uncle tell you that?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded, still frowning. Magic was a word that he didn’t have good memories associated with.

“Harry, have you ever done anything that you couldn’t explain? When you were really upset or sad?” Remus asked gently and Harry thought for a minute. There was one time when he was really hungry and Aunt Petunia gave him a small bowl of cold chicken broth that didn’t seem to empty until he was sufficiently full enough. 

“I had a bowl of soup that never emptied itself until I was full. I was really hungry,” Harry told them and Sirius’s fist clenched on the table. Oh no, he said something wrong, he should’ve known this was a trap. 

“That was magic,” Remus’s voice interrupted, deterring Harry’s thoughts from impeding punishment and just confusing him further. If Harry had magic and he went back to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, he’d never be let out of his cupboard again. The thought petrified Harry. 

“Hey, Harry, hey, hey,” Sirius’s voice was reaching him now. Harry couldn’t breathe. “Harry, take a big deep breath for me, buddy, alright!” Sirius’s voice was louder and Harry was gasping. “Harry, you will never go back to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, they are not in your life anymore!” Sirius exclaimed but not in an angry way, just trying to get through to Harry who was looking at Sirius with a spoon shaking in his hand. There was a loud noise that sounded like something shattering and Harry couldn’t breathe. 

“Harry, please, it’s alright. You’re safe here, having magic is a wonderful thing,” it was Remus this time. He spoke very calmly but very firmly. Harry was looking at him and he was still gasping for breath. “Watch me, do as I do,” Remus instructed and he took in a sharp inhale that Harry tried to mimic and managed to follow better than before. Remus exhaled dramatically and Harry followed that too. Harry’s hand fell to his lap and his fingers tangled in something soft as he continued to follow Remus’s breathes, inhaling and exhaling. 

After another minute, Harry felt as though he could breathe on his own again. And with that, he could take in his surroundings. His glass of water was shattered even though no one touched it. His hand that was in his lap was tangled in the fur of a dog that had its head resting on Harry’s thigh. The boy looked down at the big bear of a dog with its black fur and grey eyes that looked so much like Sirius’s. And then Harry went to look up at Sirius only to find the man missing. Harry was confused again but at the same time, he felt like he understood what was happening. The glass, the dog, Sirius. The flash of green light in his nightmares, the flying motorbike from his favorite dreams. It was all starting to make a little sense. 

Harry kept petting the dog which Remus was looking at fondly. “Did I do that?” Harry asked quietly, pointing at the shattered glass. “..With...magic?” he finished, swallowing hard and trying to keep his breath steady. 

Remus looked to Harry and nodded. “Yes.”

Harry swallowed again and nodded. But where the panic had been just moments ago slowly drifted into something else that felt like joy or relief. He wasn’t quite sure which. 

“Would you like to see some magic?” Remus asked and Harry found himself nodding eagerly. 

Remus took out a stick of wood similar to the one he’d seen Sirius with on Privet Drive. Remus pointed to the glass shards and said simply, “ _Reparo _.” And the glass shards picked themselves up and put themselves back together to form the glass that was there minutes ago as if nothing had happened. But Remus then pointed to the water on the wooden surface of the table and said, “ _Scourgify _.” And the water disappeared. Harry was awestruck. He decidedly _loved _magic, even if the thought of his aunt and uncle scared him deeply. But Remus and Sirius said he’d be staying with them and he wouldn’t see his relatives ever again.______

_____ _

____

“Padfoot,” Remus sighed, looking at the dog and the dog, Padfoot, whined and pressed his wet nose onto Harry’s thigh. 

Wait. Padfoot was Sirius. Remus called Sirius Padfoot as soon as they’d gotten to the cottage. The dog had grey eyes and black fur just like Sirius’s black hair. Harry looked down at the dog with wide eyes. “ _Sirius _?” he asked, absolutely bewildered. And when the dog went up on its hind legs and pushed its front paws onto Harry’s shoulders so he could lick his chubby toddler face, Harry knew he was right and squealed with joy. Aunt Petunia didn’t like dogs but Harry loved them. And he loved this dog. Who was also his godfather. It was weird, Harry decided. But not weird enough to make him uneasy, surprisingly. It felt right.__

____

____

“Padfoot, please. Not at the dinner table,” Remus groaned and Padfoot whined but got down off of Harry. 

In a second, where the great, big black dog was sitting transformed back into the human form of Sirius Black, godfather extraordinaire. “How did you do _that _?” Harry asked, a big smile on his face as Sirius sat back down.__

____

____

“A lot of hard work and magic, Harry,” Sirius answered, smiling back at his godson. “It’s advanced magic and takes a lot of time to work out but maybe one day you can become an _animagus _, too.”__

____

____

“Yeah!” Harry exclaimed, completely lost in the wonders of this newfound skill. “So I have magic too?” he asked immediately and dipped his spoon back into his soup. Sirius and Remus both laughed. 

“Harry, your mum and dad were some of the best magic folk of our age, your father was also an animagus, they were Head Boy and Head Girl at school and they fought against the darkest wizard of our time. They were truly wonderful people and they passed it all onto you so yes, I think it’s safe to say you have magic inside you,” Sirius answered with a grin and Harry laughed actually. But then he fell silent. 

“So, the bad man they were fighting, who killed them. He was a bad wizard?” Harry asked, chewing his bottom lip nervously, his curiosity getting the best of him. 

“Yes, he was a very bad wizard who thought less of people who had non-magic parents,” Sirius told him, his expression becoming more sobered. 

“But my mum and dad, they were right to fight against him?” 

“Yes they were. Your mum came from non-magic parents, she’s what most people call a muggle-born witch. So she was in as much danger as anyone else and when she and your father denied Voldemort three times, he tried to find them and kill them. He tried to kill you too but the curse he tried to kill you with rebounded and drained him of all his powers but it also gave you your scar,” Sirius explained carefully and Harry frowned again. 

“But—“

“Harry, I’ll do the best I can to explain but many things about that night are very confusing. I’ll try to tell you what happened as best as I can and you can ask as many questions along the way,” Sirius interjected, knowing he had to do a better job of retelling the events of Halloween night 1981. 

Harry nodded slowly and Sirius took a deep breath. He looked at Remus who offered him a bit of a sad smile and nodded. 

“Right after you turned 1 year old, it was found out by the group trying to fight Voldemort that he was going to look for you and your parents. They defied him 3 times after asking them to join him and he didn’t like being told no, especially by a witch and wizard as powerful as Lily and James. So your parents decided to go into hiding to keep you safe from danger and they did so using a powerful spell called the Fidelius Charm which made the location of their home a secret to everyone but one person who is called a Secret Keeper. Originally, I was supposed to be their Secret Keeper and looking back, I should’ve been—“

“Sirius—“

“Please, Remus. I know but I can’t help but blame myself still,” Sirius croaked when Remus interrupted him to tell him that it wasn’t his fault. But Sirius knew it was his actions that got the Potters, his brother and his wife, murdered. 

“Anyway,” Sirius continued, “I convinced your parents to change Secret Keepers at the last moment, I thought I’d be too obvious. Everyone knew James and I were best friends since our first year at school together so I persuaded them to make another one of our friends from school Secret Keeper. His name was Peter Pettigrew and we called him Wormtail. We trusted him and I thought that it was a brilliant idea because while the Death Eaters, Voldemort’s supporters, would be chasing me, Peter would be safe in hiding and so would the Potters.” Sirius paused for a moment, the thought of Peter in his mind making him want to hit something. He hated the rat and he was glad he was rotting away in Azkaban. Sirius looked at Harry to see if he was following along and his face was a little screwed up in concentration but he didn’t ask any questions yet. 

“But, it turned out that Peter had been a spy for Voldemort all along and easily gave your parent’s location away to him when he asked. Peter betrayed your parents to Lord Voldemort, Harry. And that’s how he knew where to find your home. I went to check on Peter that night to make sure he was still safe but when I went to his hiding spot, he wasn’t there and there was no sign of a struggle. So I went to your parent’s home in Godric’s Hollow and—“ Sirius couldn’t continue for a minute. Talking about it still hurt and he still felt an insurmountable amount of guilt. It should’ve been him. 

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Harry frowned as if reading Sirius’s train of thought. “You thought you were doing the right thing and it was wrong of Peter to betray them like that! He was friends with my parents, of course, you’d trust him!” Harry exclaimed, getting upset and Sirius smiled weakly at him. 

“So much like your father, pup. But thank you and you are correct, it was terrible of Peter to betray them. But there’s more to the story, bear with me, alright?” Harry nodded. “I went to Godric’s Hollow and it was horrible. I can’t go into details but I can tell you that I found you in your crib, crying. And then a man named Hagrid showed up. I’m sure you’ll meet him someday, he works at the school of magic we all went to and that you’ll go to as well. But I left him with you and I went after Pettigrew, for revenge or...something, I don’t even know. I was angry and distraught. But he set me up and framed me for his murder and the murder of 12 others but he escaped. He is also an animagus, and his animagus is a rat.” 

“Fitting.” Remus sneered. 

“He escaped via a nearby sewer and I was imprisoned without a trial for the betrayal of your parents and 13 murders I did not commit,” Sirius explained, watching Harry’s expression turn more and more stormy by the minute. Harry had conveyed more emotion with his face in the last 20 minutes than the whole time Sirius had been with him. It was equally frightening and hope-inducing. 

“That’s wrong. Peter was wrong,” Harry hissed and Sirius nodded gravely. 

“Yes, he was. I would never betray your parents or any of my other friends but no one else seemed to think so at the time. Everyone was scared and no one knew who to trust,” Sirius continued.

“I should’ve known, too. But I didn’t and I am sorry to you, Sirius, and to you as well, Harry. I didn’t know the Secret Keeper had been switched so I thought that Sirius had been a supporter of Voldemort the whole time, I thought he was the spy and I was an idiot for it. There was and is no one I trust more than Sirius and I should’ve used my head but I was hurt. 

“However, I’m friends with a family of witches and wizards known as the Weasleys and one of their sons had a rat. A rat with a missing toe that looked strangely like Peter’s animagus form but it took a minute to click with me. I had gone so long thinking it was Sirius who’d given Lily and James to Voldemort and that he’d kill Pettigrew. Until I heard the rat squeal. I knew instantly that the rat was Peter and that Sirius hadn’t killed him, or those Muggles. Peter was found out, turned over to the Ministry, and Sirius was released less than a day later. He was acquitted of all charges,” Remus cut in, giving his little piece of the story. 

Harry turned to Remus and nodded. “Thank you,” the boy said and Remus stared, a little dumbstruck, but grateful all the same. Harry understood that Remus' intentions were only well-meant and that he didn’t have the full story. There was something in Harry’s expression that made Remus a little uneasy, though; a question that he seemed too nervous to ask but Remus could guess what it probably was. He prepared himself for the conversation.

“Harry, I would’ve taken you in in a heartbeat. But there were a few things stopping me. I was grieving, I had no way of caring for a child at the time. I was incredibly poor. I didn’t even know where you had been taken, I was on a mission for Dumbledore and by the time I had gotten back, you were with your Muggle relatives and Sirius was in prison. And even if I had found you, no one would’ve let me take you to raise you because, well, I’m a werewolf. Do you know what that is?” Remus had to take many shaky breaths. Telling anyone about his condition was always a risk, telling a child, one that he was supposed to take care of, was an entirely different realm of anxiety he’d never had to cross into before. 

Harry shook his head, his eyebrows pinching together and Remus sighed. “Once a month, at the full moon, I lose my mind and body to a wolf inside me that takes complete control for the night. It’s very dangerous to be around a werewolf because a bite will turn someone else into one or the wolf can lose complete control and kill another person,” he explained taking more deep breaths and Harry nodded, still following along. “The Ministry of Magic, the governing body of the wizarding world, would never let me take a child into my care. It would be far too dangerous and it still is, however, there are precautions I can now take to ensure that you and Sirius will remain safe during the full moon. But I understand completely if you’d rather me not stay here with you, it’s scary and I want you to be comfortable,” Remus finished and Sirius looked at him. Sirius didn’t want Remus to leave him again, he didn’t care about the wolf but Sirius had also agreed that Harry’s comfort mattered more than anything at the moment in time. It hurt both of them, considering they were married but they also knew they’d be able to make it work this time. 

Harry’s face got even more stormy as his tiny nostrils flared. It reminded Sirius and Remus of Lily when she felt particularly strong about something and while it was endearing, it also frightened Remus. 

“I don’t care that you’re a werewolf!” Harry exclaimed, taking both men by surprise. “You’re nice and you cut my sandwiches into triangles! I want you to stay!...If you want to,” Harry shouted, standing up in his chair a little and Sirius couldn’t help the smile on his lips. So much like James and Lily. “You were one of my dad’s best friends, that’s good enough for me!” Harry finished, pointing his tiny thumb to his chest. 

Remus and Sirius were silent for a minute and Harry slowly sat down again. Finally, it was Remus who broke the tension. 

“Thank you very much, Harry. I appreciate your trust in me and I would be delighted to stay with you,” Remus said, his voice shaky and tears in his eyes. 

“You’re a kind boy, Harry,” Sirius said gently and Harry felt his cheeks redden. “Do you have any questions for us?” 

Harry nodded but quickly ate a spoonful of soup that had been long forgotten through the journey of the conversation before asking. 

“Did you use magic to make Uncle Vernon have pig ears?” Harry asked, a small smile on his lips and Sirius laughed nervously, chancing a glance at Remus who was glaring at him. 

“Yes, it was magic. But we don’t use magic on Muggles ever if we can help it, Harry. I made a, ah, small exception with your aunt and uncle today,” Sirius explained, trying to tiptoe around Remus. 

“Padfoot!”

“Dumbledore was okay with it! He didn’t even say anything to me! It’ll wear off by morning!” Sirius defended and Remus couldn’t help but laugh a little no matter how much he wanted to scold his husband. 

Harry watched them, a bit confused, but smiling a little nonetheless. His uncle with those piggy little ears was definitely something that would make him laugh for a long time but he didn’t voice that. 

“We’ll talk about it later,” Remus said, shaking his head but still laughing and smiling nonetheless. He was really not all that mad. 

“Any other questions, kid?” Sirius asked and Harry sat up a little straighter. 

“Yes. Why did Uncle Vernon, um, call you...that um..” Harry didn’t know how to ask the question. He wanted to know why his Uncle got so upset and called Sirius that name. He understood that it was something to do with love and something to do with his aunt and uncle not being okay with whatever it was but he couldn’t be too sure. Remus looked at Sirius and frowned a little but the other man merely nodded his head and dropped his spoon. 

“He called me queer, Rem,” Sirius answered his husband unfounded question easily. 

“Yeah that,” Harry supplied simply. 

“Right, well, you’re a sharp kid, Harry. That was a slur your uncle used towards me because of who I love. With me?” Harry nodded. “For example, your parents loved each other very much, they were married and they had you. They were a man and a woman. However, your uncle was referring to the fact that I only love men, which he would know considering the short amount of time he spent at your parent's wedding. But just because I love men, a lot of people, a lot of Muggles really, think it makes me lesser than people who love the opposite gender. Does that make sense?” Sirius explained. He didn’t think he’d have to explain this to Harry the first night but at this point, maybe it was better just to get it out of the way. 

Harry nodded, seemingly thinking very hard about what Sirius just said and both men watched him a little nervously. “So then…” he started, trailing off. “You and Mr. Remus…” 

“Are in love,” Sirius supplied, not daring to take an easy breath yet. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay?”

“Okay. I think the things Uncle Vernon used to say about boys who like boys and girls who like girls were just mean. It shouldn’t matter, right?” Harry tried and Sirius and Remus smiled at each other. 

“That’s exactly it, Harry,” Remus said gently. 

“So does that mean that Mr. Dumbledore…” Harry started, trailing off again but thinking about what Sirius said when Uncle Vernon called them that word. 

Sirius choked on a laugh a little and looked at Remus who’s frowning again. “When he called me queer, he could’ve been talking about me...or he could’ve been talking about Dumbledore. So I asked him for some clarification,” Sirius answered the unasked question on Remus’s face who just put a hand up to his face in reply. “And yes, Harry. Dumbledore and I are gay,” Sirius answered and Harry nodded but turned to look at Remus. Remus was slightly taken aback by the suddenness of the boy's curiosity.

“My preferences are a little bit more confusing, Harry. I like men and women.”

“That’s not confusing,” Harry said, his eyebrows furrowing. Sirius and Remus smiled at each other again. 

“S’ppose it’s not then,” Remus mumbled with a smile. “Still, it’s called being bisexual,” Remus told him and Harry nodded. 

“Harry, you can love whoever you want to love. Sometimes people hate you for it though because they don’t understand it. It’s just like how people don’t like other people for being born a witch or wizard into a Muggle home,” Sirius explained gently and Harry nodded again. 

“And how people don’t like me for my skin?” Harry asked, cocking his head to the side a little and Sirius and Remus both sighed a little. They really fucking hated those Muggles. 

“Yes Harry. But that’s the thing, loving men, or being a muggle-born witch or wizard, or having different colored skin does not make us bad and it certainly doesn’t warrant hate from others but people don’t like change or to see someone different from who they are. People can have a hard time accepting others because they have prejudices built up and because they are different from what’s determined as right or normal but that is no way an excuse for them to be mean towards you or anyone else. Just because you look different or you love different people doesn’t mean you are bad or strange or anything, there are just some people who can’t see that it is a beautiful thing to be ‘different’ from others. Be proud of who you are, Harry. And if someone says something to you for having brown skin, please tell either of us. Or if you take matters into your own hands, Remus and I will be there to back you all the way through,” Sirius explained and Harry nodded with dignity. 

“Harry, neither of us can promise you a world without hate or without prejudice. People have all sorts of biases that are ridiculous and quite frankly, idiotic, but that doesn’t mean you will not be loved and cherished here. In this house, you are loved beyond measure,” Remus told him and Harry had tears shining in his eyes. The Dursleys, on top of all other things, were mean to him about his skin. They were racists. They called him mean names and he didn’t understand why but Sirius and Remus were telling him that sometimes people are like that. Harry still didn’t understand why but he did understand that the two people in front of him just said that they love him. And he thought he might love them too. 

~

Late that night, when Harry was asleep again, in his own room this time, Remus and Sirius sat downstairs on the couch together. Remus was running his fingers through Sirius’s hair and Sirius was holding onto Remus tightly. They both were thinking about the day they just had and it was Remus who started laughing for first. 

“We have a child living with us!” he said happily. “James and Lily’s son!” 

“He has a proper home!” Sirius exclaimed, sitting up from Remus’s grasp to look him in his eyes.

“Pads, he’s… he’s wonderful. I mean he’s been here less than a day but he’s _wonderful _,” Remus replied, his eyes full of joy.__

____

____

“He’s spectacular but Rem, he’s… he’s hurt.”

“Yeah, those Muggles… Merlin, I hate them.” Remus gritted his teeth and Sirius grasped his shoulder.

“The important thing is that we have him. We can help him reach his full potential. Like you said, he’s wonderful. We just have to, well, love him. Show him that he’s important and cared for and that he’s in control of his own life,” Sirius said and he wasn’t sure who he’s reassuring, Remus or himself. Perhaps a bit of both. 

“Sirius Black, when did you grow up?” Remus asked a little mockingly with a smirk playing on his lips and his husband returned it with a smile. 

“Not sure, Moons. But don’t get thinking I’m too grown-up,” Sirius winked and Remus rolled his eyes. 

They looked at each other for a few minutes until Remus’s expression grew a little more serious. “Pads, earlier when you were talking about Azkaban—“

“Moony, please. That’s in the past and if there’s one thing I learned in that hellscape, it’s that focusing on the past only ever hurt me. It’s hurt us, and I don’t want that for us. You turned in Pettigrew, you came for me when I thought no one else would. It’s been almost a year, I’m doing so much better and so are we, as a couple,” Sirius told his husband and Remus gave him a look. 

“Sirius, you still have nightmares.”

“I’ve had nightmares since our first year at Hogwarts, Rem. I’m dealing with them, and it doesn’t hurt that you’re here with me,” Sirius said softly and Remus smiled at him. 

“I love you, Pads.”

“I love you too, Moony.”  
.  
.  
“By the way, when we were in Surrey, Harry kicked his uncle in the shin and told him to sod off. I’ve never been more proud!”

“Sirius!”

Sirius only laughed and Remus couldn’t help but to laugh along with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please excuse any typos, i try to catch as many as possible but sometimes a few slip through


	3. Shopping in Dover is for Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a long one. littol ‘arry doesn’t have anything since what little he had was left at privet drive so the obvious option is to take him shopping. and there’s bakery for remus. And sirius loves seeing his boys so happy. 
> 
> i am trying to make the chapter after this a little shorter but i am failing so all the chapters for this fic might just be very long (and completely self-indulgent)

Harry awoke the next day in a cold sweat. It wasn’t dark inside his cupboard and he wasn’t sure what time it was. All he did know is that he needed to get to the kitchen fast or it would be bad. So he hopped out of bed and rushed to change into—

Harry wasn’t living on Privet Drive anymore. Harry was somewhere in Dover, living by the water with his godfather and his husband. Harry didn’t have any other clothes besides the ones he had worn all day yesterday and then wore to bed. Harry wasn’t even sure if he had to make breakfast but surely he had to, right? His aunt and uncle expected him to so he’d better do the same thing for Sirius and Remus. 

He rushed out of his new room, his big new room that honestly made him feel a little uneasy, and ran down the stairs. But he tripped on the last step and slammed into a nearby wall before falling down on his butt. He let out a cry of pain that he tried to keep inside and looked down at his arms. The red mark from yesterday morning was burning with renewed pain and he didn’t even notice the scurry of feet to his position by the stairs until he was being hauled up by two strong arms. 

“Harry? Are you alright?” 

It was Sirius. Harry didn’t know what to do so he cried, and cried, and cried harder. It was the first time he’d cried like that since he could remember and all Sirius did was hold him and rub his back and whisper kind things into his ear until he calmed down. 

“What happened, Harry?” Sirius asked and Harry finally looked up and saw his godfather watching him with concern all over his face. And Remus was there too, holding a dishtowel with the sleeves to his oversized sweater rolled up. 

“I fell,” Harry said bleakley and Sirius smiled. “Off the last step, I fell into the wall.”

“And you hit your arm?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again. 

“Yeah.”

"Can I?” Sirius asked softly, holding out his hand towards Harry’s arm. The boy nodded and Sirius lifted his skinny arm to observe. 

“That looks like a nasty mark, still. Harry, would you like something to make it feel better?” Sirius asked and Harry looked at him strangely. Aunt Petunia always told him to just get over it. 

“Like… like a bandaid? Or some medicine?” Harry asked quietly and Sirius smiled. 

“Kind of like that but it’s special medicine.”

“Like magic medicine?” Harry asked, his voice becoming filled with wonder and Sirius smiled bigger. 

“Yes, like magic medicine, Harry. It’ll make this feel all better, alright?” Sirius answered and Harry nodded. “Come on, pup. Perfect timing, too. Moony’s almost done with breakfast and he’s a much better omelet maker than I am,” Sirius said, holding out his arms for Harry to climb into. Harry didn’t even think twice before stepping into his godfather’s arms. 

“To be fair, Padfoot, I am a better cook all around when compared to you,” Remus quirked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Now that is just rude. Don’t you think, Harry? How could Moony say such a thing to me, I’ll have both of you know that I happen to make fantastic toast,” Sirius replied dramatically which elicited some giggles from the boy in his arms. 

“Toast that _I _butter,” Remus countered and Harry giggled some more.__

____

____

Sirius set Harry down in the seat at the dining table that he sat in for all his meals yesterday and then padded over to the small half-bath that sat right next to the kitchen. Harry saw him open a cabinet and pull out a small circular container which he promptly brought over to where Harry was sitting. 

“May I?” Sirius asked kindly, gesturing to Harry’s right arm and the boy nodded in reply, biting his lower lip a little. He didn’t know what to expect from the small container of medicine but when Sirius opened it, it just looked like Vaseline but with a bit of an extra shimmer to it. He dipped his fingers into the gooey substance and applied a generous amount to the angry mark on Harry’s arm. Sirius steadily rubbed in the medicine and as he did so, a feeling that was both hot and cold at the same time seeped through Harry’s skin but as he watched, the welt grew less red until all that was left was his normally soft skin. He looked up at Sirius with his mouth opened and the man offered him a smile. 

“Do you want to see if it still hurts?” Sirius asked thoughtfully and Harry touched his own arm, surprised to see that it no longer hurt. 

“Doesn’t hurt,” he answered simply and Sirius gave him a lopsided grin. 

“Would you like to put some medicine on the marks on your legs?” he asked carefully and when Harry nodded eagerly, the older man repeated the same process until nothing of life with the Dursleys was left on his body. He didn’t understand why but Harry couldn’t help but cry some more. 

“Everything alright?” Sirius asked, concern filling his voice and Harry nodded quickly, not wanting to come off as ungrateful. 

“Yeah, I just… thank you,” he said meekly, his voice cracking a little. 

“Of course, pup,” Sirius answered as if it were obvious that this is how a child should be treated when they were hurt. Which, of course, is how it should’ve been the last almost 5 years of Harry’s life. 

“Who wants breakfast?” Remus asked in a happy tone and Harry smiled at him brightly. Compared to yesterday, his spirits were at an all time high. 

“Yes, please!” he exclaimed and Remus placed an omelet on Harry’s plate, then Sirius’s, and then his own. The werewolf replaced the skillet on the stove and brought out a container of orange juice that Harry stared at a little darkly. Dudley always wanted orange juice. 

“Everything alright, pup?” Remus asked, noticing Harry’s expression and the boy shifted awkwardly in his seat. He didn’t know why, but Harry didn’t think he ever wanted orange juice again. 

“Do you like orange juice?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded, biting his lower lip but Sirius raised an eyebrow. It was true that Harry did usually enjoy orange juice but seeing it now outside of Privet Drive made him think of Dudley. And he didn’t want to think about Dudley ever. Or Privet Drive. But he also didn’t want to be rude because he just admitted to liking the drink so he decided he wouldn’t say anything about it. 

“Well, we don’t have to have orange juice today, kid,” Remus said carefully and Harry grimaced. He didn’t want Remus to do anything extra on his behalf but he was still grateful nonetheless. 

“I—,” he started, unsure of how to say what he was trying to say, “I like it, b-but I don’t think I want any right now.”

Remus merely put the orange juice away and brought out another container. “What about apple juice?” he asked, holding it up for Harry’s approval. Harry decided apple juice was his favorite drink right then and there. 

“I love apple juice,” Harry admitted easily and Remus poured him a glass. 

Sirius already had a cup of tea by his plate and Remus had a mug of coffee ready since the early hours of the morning. So when the latter sat down at the table, they began to eat. Harry ate slowly. It was his first time having an omelet and he loved it, plus he wanted to savor every bite he could. He still had a stinky little voice in his head that told him this was just temporary and soon he'd have to start earning his meals again. 

“So,” Remus said after swallowing a sip of coffee, “Padfoot and I were thinking we should walk into the village this morning and do a little shopping. You can’t live in that old t-shirt and shorts forever and you surely want some new toys and some books maybe, so we figured we could make a little day out of it.” Harry held his fork in his hand and stared at Remus, at a loss for words. He’d never been shopping before, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon rarely took him anyway if they could help it. They never wanted to be seen with him in public, they were afraid people would notice he was different. 

“That alright, pup?” Sirius asked, nervousness tinging his voice.

“I’ve never been shopping before, I’ve never even seen the inside of a store,” Harry replied and Sirius snorted a little.

“Harry, if I’m being quite honest it’s not all that fascinating. But still, it’ll be fun for us to go out to town for a little and get you some new things. Maybe we’ll even stop at the bakery and pick something up—“

“You didn’t tell me there was a bakery,” Remus cut in, appalled that his lover would leave out such important information. 

“My apologies, Moony,” Sirius laughed. “But yeah, there’s a bakery and from what I remember, they have delicious chocolate macaroons and an impeccable mousse—“

“How could you leave out such crucial information, Sirius!” Remus practically cried and Harry giggled. 

“Moony loves chocolate,” Sirius stage-whispered to Harry and the boy only giggled some more, kicking his feet in his chair to show excitement and happiness. 

“Well, how’s everyone looking on breakfast?” Remus asked, surveying the plates to see how quickly they could get out of the house and to that bakery but not wanting to rush Harry too fast. 

“I’m all good, Moons,” Sirius answered, still laughing. Harry still had some omelet left that he was planning on finishing but he didn’t want to cause a problem for his new family either. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Harry answered sheepishly and Remus gave him a bit of a skeptical look before sobering up. 

“You can keep eating if you want to, Harry. I was just over-excited is all but please, finish your breakfast. There really isn’t any rush,” Remus said kindly. If it were just him and Sirius, he would’ve made his husband shove the rest of it in his face but, with Harry, comfort and control for him were more important at the moment. 

“Are you sure?” Harry asked uneasily and Remus nodded with a soft smile.

“Of course, take your time,” Remus answered and Harry picked up his fork and ate a little faster than he had before. He didn’t want to keep them waiting. How could he think that they’d want to wait on him just because he wanted to enjoy his breakfast?

Harry finished minutes later and when he told Remus he was finished, the man promptly took the plates and the glasses to the sink while Sirius turned to him. “I have a question for you, kid,” Sirius said and when Harry stared at him, he took it as a sign to continue. “Do you want to shower and wear some of mine and Remus’s clothes for the day or do you want to wear what you’ve got on now to the village then shower and change when we get back?”

Harry shifted in his seat. He successfully got rid of the Dursleys from his life twice this morning with the lash marks and the orange juice. And Dudley’s old shirt and pants were sagging terribly on him but he didn’t want to put out Sirius and Remus of their own clothes. That’s asking for too much when they’ve already given him so much already. Sirius noticed his apprehension. 

“Pup, it wouldn’t be an inconvenience to either of us if you wanted to wear some of our clothes. I’ve got some shorts I can charm them so they’d shrink to fit you and Merlin knows Remus has far too many knit sweaters he can part with for your sake,” Sirius told him. “Really, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to get out of those clothes, and if Remus would let us, I’d say we’d burn them,” Sirius continued when Harry didn’t answer after another minute. 

“No, I’d be okay with burning them,” Remus said from behind Harry causing the boy to jump in his seat a little. “But yeah, I’ll let you pick out a sweater and if you want to see more magic, Sirius is great with charms and you could watch him shrink the shorts,” he followed up and Harry tentatively agreed to their offer. 

“Okay, thank you,” Harry said, his voice tight. He didn’t understand why he felt like crying so much today but neither of the two men said anything about it or yelled at him for it. Maybe they were happy cries, he thinks. Well besides when he fell into the wall. 

“Oh maybe we can pick up some marshmallows and make a campfire in the backyard with those clothes,” Sirius said offhandedly. Remus kept his grimace to himself. The thought of using any kind of fire made out of Dudley’s clothes to make s’mores made him want to jump into a lake and let the grindylows have him. 

~

Harry showered and took a little more time than he normally would with the Dursleys and it felt good. It was almost like he was washing away his past life and starting fresh with Sirius and Remus, his parent’s two best friends. He liked the new feeling. 

Sirius pulled out an old pair of cargo shorts that he felt no remorse for parting with because, for one, it was to the benefit of his godson, and two, he could _not _pull off cargo shorts any longer. He had a brief stint with them pre-Azkaban but looking back, he really didn’t know what he was thinking at the time or why no one had stopped him from making such questionable choices. But they would probably look adorable on Harry so he was glad he had decided to keep them all this time.__

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Harry sat on the floor in Remus and Sirius’s room in just an old Stooges t-shirt that Sirius dug out of a drawer. He had picked out a cream-colored sweater from Remus’s closet that if it were for anyone else, Remus would’ve most likely fought tooth and nail for. Sirius’s shorts laid next to it and the man in question held out his wand to the garment. He muttered a spell under his breath and Harry watched in reverence as the adult-sized shorts shrunk and shrunk until they looked like they would fit around the child’s waist. 

Sirius then held his wand to Remus’s sweater and before Harry understood what he was doing, he lunged forward and loudly said, “Wait!” Sirius looked at him with a little shock and confusion. 

“What’s wrong?”

Harry squirmed on the ground for a second. He didn’t have an explanation for why he interrupted Sirius without thinking about it first but that didn’t mean he did it randomly. The kid knew what he wanted. “Could...could you leave it the way it is?” he asked quietly and the two men exchanged smiles. 

“Yes, we can leave it the way it is. But it’s going to hang off you, pup,” Sirius answered with grace and Harry smiled, a little embarrassed. 

“That’s okay,” he mumbled. Sirius leaned down and picked up the shorts and sweater to hand to Harry. 

“Go get dressed and meet us downstairs. Take your time, there’s no rush. And you can keep the shirt,” Sirius told him and Harry nodded with a vague sense of determination before scurrying off. 

Remus and Sirius headed downstairs together. “He’s never letting you have the sweater back, Rem,” Sirius laughed and the other man merely smiled.

“S’okay,” he shrugged. “Rather he keeps it, he’ll look absolutely charming in it.”

They didn’t have to wait long before Harry came barreling down the steps only to come to a halt in front of the two adults. Remus was right. Harry was on a new plane of adorable in his makeshift outfit. The sweater hung off him so much that it almost reached his knees and the sleeves were so long that Remus knelt down and carefully rolled them so they only reached his hands. And it was a relatively lightweight sweater and the breeze coming from the Channel was enough to assure the two adults that the boy wouldn’t overheat. The shrunken shorts were still relatively big on Harry but Sirius guesses it’s because Harry was so skinny from lack of nourishment from the Dursleys. The seams were just barely visible underneath the length of the sweater but others would be able to tell that their ward was still wearing pants under the enormity of his top. 

“Before we go, Harry, we need to talk about some ground rules about going out,” Sirius said, anticipating Harry’s reaction a little. His little face fell a little and he looked both a little stormy and a little afraid. “It’s nothing bad, we’re going to have a lot of fun today, this is just so Remus and I know you’ll be safe at all times,” Sirius reassured and Harry’s expression cleared up a little. 

“When we’re in the village, Remus or I will be with you at all times just to be sure you don’t go wandering off anywhere you’re not supposed to. If a stranger comes up to you and neither of us are around, you turn your tail in the opposite direction and run, I would even say you start shouting one of our names,” Sirius laid out and Harry nodded, seeming to be okay with what Sirius had just set in place. 

“If you see something you would like, all you have to do is ask one of us and we’ll decide together whether or not we should get it. This doesn’t really apply to clothing but if you see something, just point it out and we’ll talk. Is that all okay with you, Harry?” Sirius continued. 

“Yeah that’s okay. I’m really good at running, I used to run all the time from Dudley and his friends when they played Harry Hunting,” the boy replied simply. Harry didn’t seem as uneasy as he had just a minute ago but Sirius was still trying to figure the kid out. And he loathed the game named Harry Hunting, he wouldn’t hurt a child ever but Harry’s cousin sounded absolutely despicable. 

“And remember, if you have questions at all ever, you can always come to us and ask, alright?” Sirius confirmed and Harry gave him an easy nod. 

“Let’s head out then,” Remus said with a smile, pushing open the front door to allow Sirius and Harry to leave first. The werewolf stepped through behind them, closing the door with him and watched as, hesitantly, Harry grabbed Sirius’s hand. Remus smiled when Sirius looked down at the boy with a smile and gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Remus hurried to catch up. 

He found himself on the other side of Harry just as Sirius was asking the boy a question. “Harry, was everything alright this morning? You know, when you fell down the stairs?” Sirius asked softly and both men noticed Harry’s body tense a little and his cheeks started to flush. Sirius had mentioned wanting to ask the boy about the morning’s little mishap while Harry was showering and Remus agreed it felt off. “You’re not in trouble, Harry,” Sirius assured and while the boy seemed to try to appear less on edge, his shoulders were very much still rigid. 

“Um, I, er— I thought you and Mr. Remus would, erm, b-be upset if I, um, didn’t make breakfast,” Harry managed to get out and Remus frowned a little. 

“Did you have to make breakfast with for Aunt and Uncle?” Remus asked and Harry’s gaze found him this time as he nodded. 

“Y-Yeah,” he breathed out and Remus offered him a kind smile. 

“You don’t have to worry about cooking for us, pup. Let us handle the food and everything, it should have never been your duty to do it in the first place,” Sirius said kindly and Harry’s face screwed up a little as if he was trying to understand.

“Would you want help?” Harry asked tentatively. 

“If you want to help, we would gladly welcome it,” Remus said simply. “But don’t go out of your way to make food for us, kid. Really, it’s okay.”

“Okay,” Harry said uneasily. Sirius and Remus shared a look. They knew that this wasn’t going to fix anything the kid was feeling, a conversation would only do so much. He just had to see that the two adults were genuine in saying that he didn’t have to cook anymore. 

“Also, you don’t have to call me ‘Mr. Remus’, Harry. Remus is fine,” Remus told him and Harry looked back up at him with a bit of a sly smile on his face. 

“Can I call you Moony?” 

Sirius barked out a laugh causing Harry’s attention to shift over to him. “Only if you call me Padfoot,” he said eagerly and Harry giggled. 

“Moony and Padfoot!” he exclaimed in a bit of a sing-song voice that was positively adorable.

“And you’re our little Prongslet,” Sirius said with a smile. Harry giggled again even though he didn’t understand the meaning behind the name. 

“Your dad’s nickname was Prongs so it’s only fitting that you, his son, would be Prongslet,” Remus said offhandedly and Harry smiled up at Remus broadly. It seemed that any praise that he received that was related to his parents made the boy incredibly happy. The family lapsed into a comfortable silence, the only sounds being gravel that they crushed underneath their feet on the path to the town. 

The walk to the village from the cottage wasn’t too long, about a mile or so, and the entire time Harry was singing a made-up song under his breath. It seemed the only words were ‘Moony’ ‘Padfoot’ and ‘Prongs’. It warmed both Remus and Sirius’s hearts but it made them ache a little too. 

At the first sight of the village, Harry seemed to want to walk a little faster and soon he was tugging Sirius behind him. “Slow down, pup. It’s not going anywhere,” Sirius laughed and Harry did slow up a bit but his small legs were still moving rather fast. Remus saw him pulling up his shorts multiple times over the course of the few minutes it took to reach the village. It made him smile because it was cute, but it also reminded him how skinny Harry was and that they needed to get him to put on a little weight. 

They stopped at the beginning of the main road and let Harry gaze around to take in the sight. It was a small quaint village with one main road that had everything they needed which was surrounded by smaller cottages and apartment buildings. There was a park to the right at the village, near a cliff where they could look out and see the water. Harry loved it, it was so much different than Surrey, the buildings all looked different from each other and he could smell the salt in the water. He was shaking with excitement and Sirius loved seeing the kid so excited. 

“First stop, clothes I’d say,” Remus proposed and the other two people in his family agreed. They walked down the busy main street and looked into various different stores to see what they had to offer. They passed by a bike store that Remus seemed very interested in and that Sirius didn’t understand all that much but the former thinks he can actually convince his husband to get a bike one day. It’d be fun for Harry to learn and probably hilarious to watch Sirius try to learn. The man can ride a motorbike like no one’s business, but a normal bike without an engine is a whole different story. 

They finally come across a small clothing store that had a large selection of children’s clothing that looked perfect for Harry. They walked inside, Harry holding tightly onto Sirius’s hand. 

“Can I help you gentlemen?” the store worker asked sweetly.

“Just looking around for now,” Remus answered kindly and she left them alone. 

They spent close to three hours inside the store. Sirius was not letting his godson look anything less than stellar as long as Harry was comfortable in the clothes Sirius was fitting him in. Remus, on the other hand, found a nifty cardigan for himself and a sweater that would fit Harry perfectly and would be great for winter. The rest of the time, he watched Sirius hold up different shirts and pants to Harry who either shook his head yes or no. One thing Sirius would not hear any criticism towards is the children’s size leather jacket and matching sunglasses. Harry didn’t argue with him and neither did Remus. He would never tell his husband out of sheer pride, but he found the idea of Sirius and Harry wearing matching leather jackets and sunglasses to be absolutely adorable. 

Finally, Sirius felt they had enough clothes picked out for the boy as his arms were filled with t-shirts, sweaters, little button-ups, jackets, pants, and shorts. All of them were neat looking and were the perfect size for Harry but considering the boy would continue to grow, he and Remus decided to put a sizing charm on them so the clothes would grow with Harry for some time. However, despite the large wad of Muggle money Sirius handed over to the store clerk (who accepted it, wide-eyed in shock), he still seemed a little unsatisfied. 

“What is it, Pads?” Remus asked quietly with a small frown as they gathered up the bags the clothes had been placed in while Harry grabbed his other hand. He was being very good about not wandering off by himself and both men were grateful he had heeded Sirius’s directions.

“I don’t know,” the other man replied briskly and Remus’s eyebrows pinched together. Sirius clearly knew what he wanted to talk about. 

“Sirius,” Remus said in deadpan and his husband sighed. 

“I know we’re not bringing him into the wizarding world, at least not very far, but I still want him to have, I don’t know, something from it. I want him to know about his world at least a little and all he’s going to have now is Muggle clothes which is really great and everything. But I want him to know about _our _culture,” Sirius explained and Remus sighed. He kind of had to agree with Sirius.__

____

____

“Maybe there’s a small settlement around here that we can find?” Remus offered and Sirius laughed. 

“Rem, we can’t just pop into a British wizarding settlement with _The Boy Who _Fucking _Lived _,” Sirius murmured, making sure that the only person who could hear him say the last part was Remus alone. “They’ll know who he is in a heartbeat and I don’t want him being exposed to that, we know everyone will lose it once he goes to Hogwarts,” Sirius continues, still keeping his voice low and glancing down at Harry who’s still holding Remus’s hand and looking into store windows, not paying any mind to the two adults.____

_____ _

_____ _

“Well,” Remus said thoughtfully, trying to come up with a good solution. Remus wanted Harry to know about Wizarding Culture as well, and just like Sirius, he didn’t want to expose the six-year-old to the fame he’s come into because of the death of his parents. Harry was in no way prepared for that and considering the environment he’s just been taken out of, it wouldn’t do any good for him to have people fawning over a glimpse of him. Sirius was right, no wizard settlement in Britain would be feasible for them to make a trip to. And even when they go to Ottery St. Catchpole to meet the Weasley’s, it’ll only be to meet the family at their home and nothing more. 

“What about France?” Remus asked, the idea coming to him in an instant. “You know you’re way around Calais and you’re fluent.”

Sirius pondered this for a moment before making a slight stink face. “The Wizarding section in Calais is usually filled with British wizards who are touring around since it’s only across the water,” Sirius mentioned. “But maybe,” he began again, perking up a little, “We can Apparate to Calais, stay for a day in the Muggle section, and then Apparate to Paris the next day. Paris would be more crowded and there’d be less British Wizards. There’s a chance Harry would be recognized but it’s even less than if we stayed in Calais. The Wizarding World is quite large too so we’d be able to get all kinds of things like Potions kits, brooms, history books, all different kinds of things!”

Sirius seemed excited about the idea, Remus was excited too. There would need to be more precautions taken to ensure Harry’s safety but as long as they can get to Wizarding Paris and introduce more magic into the Cottage in Dover than it would be worth it. Sure there were a few magical items in the Cottage already like the tea kettle that heated itself and the mirror that was always willing to give compliments when stood in front of. However, most of the items that belonged in the Cottage were removed by members of the Black family or were placed inside Gringotts for safekeeping. 

“Also I know a place in Paris that makes beautifully tailored robes, we could get Harry some as well as yourself,” Sirius winked and Remus rolled his eyes. He’d long accepted that Sirius spending money on him was not a form of charity and more an act of love. Sirius loved spending money on his husband, and now his godson, and he had the Black family fortune to do so. Plus it was a kind of ‘fuck you’ to his deceased family, being a blood traitor and all who spent the family wealth on a werewolf and a half-blood child who was born to another pure-blooded traitor and his muggle-born wife. Sirius quite enjoyed being the Black family heir now that all his family members were deceased. (Remus knew, however many times his husband tried to deny it, that Sirius blamed himself for the death of Regulus. They never talked about it if Sirius could help it, though.)

Before heading to the toy store and the book store, the little family decided to stop for a quick lunch at a nearby cafe. They sat outside with Sirius sitting next to Harry and Remus across from them. Remus ordered a salad that Sirius scoffed at a little with a smile, Sirius got himself a slice of pizza, and Harry wanted a sandwich that Sirius ordered for him. The kid didn’t seem too keen on talking to new strangers just yet. 

When they got their food, Harry made a funny face at his sandwich. It was a simple turkey club but neither Sirius or Remus missed the slight stink face that crossed his expression. “Everything alright, pup?” Sirius asked, holding up his slice of pizza without having taken a bite yet. 

Harry’s face grew red immediately and he looked away from both of them, his eyes closed tightly. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look and Remus set down his fork, Sirius following suit with his pizza slice. “Harry, you’re not in trouble or anything. We just want to make sure everything is alright,” Remus said gently and Harry shifted in his seat a little, turning to face them a little more.

“‘S silly,” he murmured almost too quietly. 

“It’s alright if it’s silly, you can still tell us and nothing bad will happen,” Sirius urged but not too forcefully. 

“It’s just… it’s.. not cut into triangles,” Harry struggled to say almost as if it hurt him. He shrunk away immediately after saying it and Remus grinned. Sirius laughed softly. Harry chanced a glance up at them.

“Pup, we can cut into triangles for you,” Sirius offered and Harry looked at him with eyes full of shock. 

“Really?” he asked, still disbelieving but when Sirius nodded, he grinned and nodded his head. 

Sirius picked up a knife and cut the sandwich into four triangles and Harry never stopped smiling. If all they needed to do was make sure Harry’s lunch was cut the way he liked, neither Sirius nor Remus would complain. It was far too worth it just to see the kid smiling so much. They all ate lunch happily. 

Before they were ready to pay and leave, Sirius excused himself to the bathroom and took the bags of clothes with him, albeit trying to hide them as much as possible. Harry gave Remus a questioning look and Remus mouthed “magic” at him and held a finger up to his lips to indicate it was a secret. Harry nodded and Sirius returned not too long after, slyly handing something to Remus who placed it in his satchel. Harry thought he was understanding what happened—Sirius shrunk the bags so they’d be easier to carry. They left some Muggle money on their table and crossed the street to get to the toy store, and luckily the bookstore was located right next to it. 

Remus helped Harry pick out some toys that were age-appropriate and Sirius kind of just sulked behind them the whole time. It’s not that Muggle toys weren’t good or anything, they’d be great for Harry, but he was really raring to get Harry some magical toys as well and introduce him to some simple potions or even flying a broom. Sirius jumped at that thought and quickly leaned forward to whisper at Remus who was explaining Legos to Harry. “We should get him a _broom _. If James gave him anything it’s gonna be his flying skills,” he said, his voice containing much excitement and Remus rolled his eyes.__

____

____

“James practically gave him his entire physical appearance, Sirius,” Remus pointed out and the other man couldn’t help the pout that crossed his face. 

“He needs a broom, Rem,” Sirius insisted and Remus couldn’t help but roll his eyes again. 

“No, Sirius,” Remus insisted back. Harry was six, they couldn’t very well have him flying all over their backyard and risk falling. The thought made Remus shudder. Sirius at least seemed to understand Remus’s hesitation. 

“A toy broom, like the one I got him for his first birthday but a little more advanced,” Sirius reasoned and Remus sighed. 

“ _Fine _,” he grounded out and that was when they finally noticed the puzzled look Harry had been giving them, his hand holding a box of Legos that said Fire Station. Sirius held back his grimace. Muggles and their weird obsession with lighting things on fire, whether it be on purpose or accidental, would never make sense to him.__

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They left the toy store an hour and a half later, their arms laden with more bags and a very quiet Harry who was looking very embarrassed. “What are you thinking, Prongslet?” Sirius asked and the boy was obviously trying to hold back a smile due to the nickname. 

“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, not meeting his or Remus’s eyes. “It’s too much, I haven’t done anything to deserve it,” Harry murmured and Sirius sighed. Since he was the one currently holding the boy’s hand, he gently steered him to a bench and sat down with him. 

“Rem, be a dear?” Sirius asked, holding out the three bags in his hand. Remus understood and took them from Sirius before inconspicuously ducking into an alleyway. 

“He went to go shrink the bags, make them easier to carry,” Sirius whispered and Harry nodded, silently proud of himself for guessing right back at the cafe. “But Harry,” Sirius started again his with his voice in its normal cadence again, causing the boy to frown, “this isn’t unnecessary to me, this is caring for you. I love you very much Harry and if getting you some new toys puts a smile on your face and getting you clothes that fit and make you feel happy, then it is by all means worth it.” Sirius was earnest and sincere. Remus had returned and sat on the other side of Harry gently but the boy started to feel a little trapped. He tried not to show it. 

“B-but,” he sputtered in reply, “‘S got to be a lot of money and I’m not— I’m not worth—“

“Please do not finish that sentence, Harry,” Sirius cut in firmly but still with gentleness. 

“You are entirely worth it,” Remus supplied and Harry turned to face him. “We want to do this, Harry. We care about you and want you to be happy,” Remus insisted and Harry felt tears well up in his eyes again. He didn’t cry yet though. 

“And don’t worry about the money, for one thing, I’ve got plenty of it and for another thing, I’d spend every dime I could one both you and Remus,” Sirius told the boy who still had his eyes swimming with tears. 

“It’s true, Harry. I tried resisting it many times, Padfoot loves giving things to the people he loves, he loves providing for them,” Remus told Harry. 

“Yes, and since we’re married, Remus is chipping in as well,” Sirius said a little pointedly towards the other adult who merely scowled at him. Sirius was relentless when it came to insisting that Remus had access to the Black family fortune as much as he did. It wasn’t charity, it was literally his right and Sirius didn’t give a damn who would argue otherwise. The goblins at Gringotts didn’t care and that was really the only ones who mattered when it came to the technicalities of it all. 

“But above all, Harry, you are our priority. We want you to be happy and we want you to feel loved,” Remus told him, his voice still soft and Harry finally sniffled. It was all too much and he was feeling overwhelmed. 

“Harry, if it makes you feel better, you don’t have to agree to everything we offer,” Sirius told him, sensing the boy’s discomfort. “There’s a reason we ask you if you’re okay with everything we pick out, it’s because we want your input as well. You have just as much say in the matter as we do, I’d argue you have even more say than we do. This is your life, Harry. Remus and I want you to feel comfortable and that means you can tell us no too,” he continued and Harry started crying softly. 

He was in _control _and he had people who _cared _about him and _loved him _. He didn’t understand what he’d done to be put in such a position but he didn’t care, he loved Sirius and Remus. He just didn’t know how or if he could tell them. “Thank you,” he said instead, his voice throaty and a small smile playing on his lips.______

_____ _

_____ _

“Can we hug you, Harry?” Remus asked and Harry nodded immediately in reply, raising a hand to rub away his tears. Not everything was fixed in that moment, Remus and Sirius both knew the road ahead was still a long one. But they felt as though they’d made progress on that park bench in that small village somewhere in Dover where the air smelled salty like the sea and the breeze blew gently through the streets.

Sirius and Remus leaned over and hugged Harry tightly but not too tightly. It felt nice to Harry, it was calming to have that much pressure on his body. It made him feel safe and grounded. He felt some of the tension leave his shoulders and he breathed a little easier. 

After a few minutes, they pulled away but remained close to Harry. “So, I think it’s important that we ask if you want to go to the bookstore. We don’t have to go, or we could go and just look around, or we could go and you could pick out a few books that you’d like,” Sirius offered and Harry thought long and hard. He never had any of his own books on Privet Drive and Sirius and Remus were willing to get him some of his own. But on the other hand, he still felt very overwhelmed by the idea of people caring about him as much as the two men had just professed. 

“Um, could we go inside and, er, look around and maybe then um…” he tried to say what he was feeling but ended up trailing off instead. Luckily, Remus seemed to understand. 

“Do you want to go inside and look around but if you find something you’d like to get, we’ll buy it?” Remus supplied, his fingers finding their way into the boy’s hair to gently card through the chaotic locks. Harry nodded, and he didn’t flinch from the contact either. 

“Let’s go then,” Sirius said with a smile. He stood up first with Remus following but Harry didn’t feel like he could walk at that moment. He was still crying a little so he weakly held at his arms, waiting for retribution for this gesture but he was only met with two caring smiles. 

“I got him,” Remus said, leaning down to pull Harry up and onto his hip. The boy was devastatingly light and Remus casted a dark look in Sirius’s direction who nodded with tight lips in reply. Sirius knew that he was angry with the Dursleys for how light the boy was, for mistreating him and underfeeding him so much. However, it was Remus’s first time holding Harry and it still felt _right _. That was the only word he could use to describe the feeling because having his best friend’s son so close to him felt amazing. He truly loved Harry and he was grateful that the universe had given the opportunity to care for the kid.__

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Sirius walked into the bookstore first with Harry and Remus close behind him. Remus took a deep breath upon entering, taking in the smell of paper and new books. It was one of his favorite scents and he hoped Harry would grow to love it as well. Harry looked around all doe-eyed and his mouth opened slightly. Remus felt a bit of gleaming satisfaction in that because he had a little feeling that this would become Harry’s favorite store of the day. Although, they haven’t been to the bakery yet. 

The little family walked around the shelves for a bit, looking at the various different genres and Harry didn’t even know what he wanted to read. They came to the rather small children’s section and Harry asked to be put down so he could get a better look. Remus was happy to oblige. The kid looked around the books, even pulled a few off the shelves and skimmed through them by flicking through the pages and reading a few lines here and there. At this point, Remus was wondering what Harry’s reading and writing skills were like because even if he did go to Muggle school, he surely wasn’t receiving any encouragement from his Aunt or Uncle. And what the boy referred to as Harry Hunting didn’t bode well either. Sirius shared a look with him that told Remus he was thinking the same thing. It would be something they’d have to discuss together and then with Harry but they were planning on keeping Harry out of school for a year or maybe just half of one, just to let him get used to his new environment and so, albeit a little selfishly, he and Sirius could spend time with him and get to know him. 

They wandered around the store together, keeping mostly to the children’s section, so Harry could look till his heart’s content. Every once in a while, Remus or Sirius would look around some of the other sections by themselves to see what the store had to offer but one of them always stayed with Harry. Harry didn’t seem to notice when one of the adults left for a little bit, too busy and occupied with looking through books that interested him. After another hour, Harry had picked out two books that he sheepishly held up to Sirius who took them with a smile. Remus himself had picked out three, all on topics he wasn’t very well versed in and that would help them raise Harry. Sirius had said he’d like to read some of the books he’d gotten so there was no need for him to pick any himself. 

Sirius looked at the two books Harry had handed him and raised an eyebrow. One was a kid’s version of the Odyssey that, while marketed towards children, seemed advanced for a six-year-old and the other was some fiction book that looked much more suited to Harry’s probable reading level. “Picked out two good ones, pup,” Sirius grinned, masking his confusion and Harry grew red at the compliment. 

“Um, thank you,” he said tensely and they both knew at this point what it meant when Harry spoke in that tone. He wanted to say something else or ask a question that he thought would have bad consequences. Remus glanced at Sirius to signal that he would talk to him so he could go pay. Sirius nodded and turned on his heel.

“What is it, pup?” Remus asked gently, taking a knee to reach Harry’s level. Harry squirmed but seemed appreciative of the gesture. Remus made a note to come to his level every time he seemed nervous. 

“Uh, it’s, uh, nothing,” he mumbled and Remus raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. 

“It certainly doesn’t seem like nothing,” he said mildly and Harry looked at him and frowned a little. “You can ask me anything or tell me anything. You’re safe to say whatever you need to say,” Remus told him, his face turning serious yet kind. Harry’s cheeks reddened more. 

“Ah, well, it’s just that, um, the one book… I, er, can’t really… read,” he murmured and Remus raised an eyebrow. 

“That’s okay,” Remus assured him and Harry swallowed but stood up a little straighter. 

“Right, well, I was, um, hoping that maybe, er, sometimes… you or Padfoot, uh, could maybe r-read it…. “ Harry trailed off and Remus gave him a knowing smile and nodded. 

“Read it to you?” the adult asked and Harry nodded quickly. “Can I hug you?” Remus asked and when Harry answered with another nod, Remus knelt on both his knees and leaned forward to pull Harry into a hug. “Of course we’ll read to you, pup. What about before bed any night you want?” Remus asked and Harry nodded while still hugging Remus, his tiny arms thrown around the man’s neck and his head buried in his shoulder. 

Remus pulled out of the hug but still held on to Harry’s shoulders and said, “And if you want, Sirius and I could read you adult, boring books whenever you’d like.” Harry wrinkled his nose a little but there was a smile on his face like he was trying to hide it. 

“Okay,” he agreed and Remus smiled at him. Sirius walked up behind them holding two bags with books. 

“Everything alright?” he asked and both of them smiled up at him. 

“Everything’s wonderful,” Remus said, looking back to Harry and holding out his arms. The kid practically jumped into them and Remus stood up with him. 

Sirius smiled at them endearingly before taking Remus’s free hand and they walked out of the store together. “So,” Sirius announced, giving a side glance to his husband who puzzled at him for a moment before realizing what was next on their list for the night, his eyes going wide. “The bakery is probably going to close soon—“

“So we should go now and then get dinner,” Remus cut in quickly and Harry giggled, resting his head on Remus’s shoulder. 

“Exactly my thoughts, love,” Sirius answered, kissing his husband on the cheek. So they walked further down the main road towards the bakery that wafted sweet scents as they drew closer and closer. Next to it was a small bistro they’d be able to stop at for dinner which was convenient. 

“Now Harry, you are allowed to get anything you want,” Sirius explained and the boy picked his head up and looked to his godfather. “But we can not allow you to eat all of it at once and you will have to wait until after dinner to have any treats, alright? We don’t want you getting a belly ache or ruining your dinner.” 

Harry looked away bashfully but nodded. He was confused a little, knowing that Sirius was right but also afraid that everything they talked about on the bench and before was coming to an end. He didn’t say anything. 

Remus walked inside, his eyes immediately lasered on a pristine-looking chocolate ganache cake that was labeled as a torte. It didn’t matter to him what the hell it was called so long as no one else bought it before he did. Sirius laughed as Remus sped walked over to the glass case it was sitting in with Harry still propped on his hip. The man was practically drooling and pressing his face against the glass. 

“May I help you?” a short, round man asked with a cheerful smile. Sirius walked over to join them. 

“That,” Remus said absentmindedly, pointing to the torte. 

“Ah, fantastic choice, a real eye for dessert you have there my friend. That is one of our most popular tortes we offer,” the man cajoled and Remus only nodded before looking over to Sirius. Sirius, who’d be focused on the man’s slight French accent, snapped his attention to his husband when he whispered hoarsely, “Babe.”

“We’ll take the torte,” Sirius laughed, knowing Remus’s intentions. 

“Ah and would that be three slices?” the man confirmed but Remus just looked at him with a slightly crazed look on his face. Sirius had only seen him get this way over chocolate a few times and it warmed his heart every time because it reminded him of just how goofy the werewolf could be. The times when he’d gotten like this lowered all his inhibitions and caused him to drop his usual calm, methodical disposition. It was equally sexy and adorable. 

“All the slices,” Remus said firmly, not making much sense. 

“I think what he’s trying to say is that we’d like to purchase the whole thing,” Sirius smiled when the baker shot him a wary look. 

“Ah, well you see we don’t typically sell whole tortes, especially this one if they’re not ordered beforehand. They are very popular with patrons here,” the man explained, jumping back when Remus cried out a bit indignantly. 

“I understand, Monsieur,” Sirius began, taking on his most charming smile, “However, we’d be willing to pay any price for this specific torte. It is our godson’s birthday today and we’ve only just received custody, a terrible story actually, but we just wanted to give him a proper celebration. I’m sure you understand but if you still feel as though you cannot sell us the whole thing, perhaps we should look elsewhere,” Sirius explained, his tone very dramatic and he made gestures to Harry who seemed to have caught onto Sirius’s game. Harry was looking woeful and giving puppy dog eyes to the baker who looked rather sympathetic. 

“Ah, no please, sirs,” the baker smiled, holding up his hands, “It’s no problem really, what do you say you pay the normal price as if you’d had ordered it beforehand?” the man offered and Sirius grinned. 

“Much obliged, Monsieur,” Sirius replied, giving a courteous bow. “And of course we will be ordered other treats as well,” he told the man, insinuating that losing the chocolate torte would be worth the money anyway. That seemed to cheer him up. 

“Wonderful, I will box this for you straight away. Please feel free to look around our other goods and I will be back to take the rest of your order,” the baker smiled, looking satisfied. Sirius nodded and Remus turned to him as the man walked away, taking the torte with him. 

“I love you more than ever, Padfoot,” Remus whispered, his eyes wide and Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“If all I have to do is buy you a chocolate cake for you to say that then I’ll buy you one every day of the week,” Sirius snorted and it was Remus’s turn to roll his eyes.

“It’s a _torte _,” Remus insisted and Sirius just laughed out a sigh before winking at Harry.__

____

____

“I saw you, pup. Turning on that cuteness to win that guy over,” Sirius smirked and Harry grew red. 

“Was nothing,” he murmured and Sirius barked out a laugh before gesturing to the rest of the display cases. 

“No matter, let us take a look around.”

By the time the baker who’d been helping them finished ringing their purchases up, it was well into dinner time. But Sirius couldn’t complain because the looks on Harry and Remus’s faces were all worth it. Harry and Remus had both wanted loads of chocolate chip cookies (as well as other kinds), there were two white bags of macaroons, three cups of fresh chocolate mousse, a slice of lemon tart, multiple pains au chocolat, a few mille-feuille, and a yogurt parfait to boot. They all graciously thanked the man for his service and Remus picked up the large bag of goodies. 

“Please, come again!” the baker shouted sincerely as they walked out the door and Sirius gave a wave behind him. It wouldn’t hurt to be on such good terms with the town baker, for future… engagements… with his husband.

Harry at this point was very obviously tired despite it only being 6 pm but he had a busy and emotional day, the likes of which he’d never experienced before. So they popped over to the little bistro next to the bakery and ordered a modest dinner. A burger for Sirius, a pesto pasta for Remus, and chicken tenders and chips for Harry. While they sat and waited for their food to be ready, Sirius and Remus debated on where to eat. Sirius had Harry sitting in his lap who was only half-paying attention. 

“There’s a little park nearby that looks out towards the water and it’s such a nice night out,” Sirius argued.

“Yeah but we can eat at the table if we go home and don’t have to worry about bugs or anything,” Remus countered and Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah well if we walk home now, I’m pretty sure he’s going to fall asleep and not want to wake up,” Sirius said, pointing at Harry who’s eyes were lidded. One of the sleeves of the sweater had unrolled itself a little so Remus took a minute to roll it back up for him. Harry muttered an almost unintelligible ‘thanks’ in reply. 

“We don’t have anywhere to sit in the park though,” Remus told him, crossing his arms. 

“Have you forgotten?” Sirius asked with a roll of his eyes that Remus scoffed out. 

“Of course I haven’t forgotten, Sirius. It’s only been eleven years since we left school,” Remus sneered. “I just don’t think tonight is the night for us to be in the park. We’ve had a long day and we’re all tired.”

“Oh come on, Moons,” Sirius pleaded and the look in his eye told Remus something his husband had been trying to convey this whole time. 

“Oh so that’s it, is it?” Remus asked snootily. “And how do you expect to just turn into Padfoot without anyone noticing?” 

“Look, if no one’s there it’s plain and simple. I get to turn into Padfoot, run around for a little, watch Harry giggle like a madman while you two eat dinner, and then I can join you after I burned off some energy. And if people are there, well then I’ll just arrive as Padfoot and then I can eat dinner when we get home,” Sirius offered and Remus scowled and rolled his eyes. 

“I think it’s reckless,” Remus crossed his arms. “But fine, though you’ve forfeited your right to burn off energy another way tonight,” Remus shot back and Sirius barked out a laugh. 

“Yeah sure, we’ll see if you’re thinking the same thing when we get home,” Sirius shot back in a sing-song voice that had Remus’s ears burning. 

Their food was ready minutes later and they immediately headed for the small park. “Looks like there are people there, Pads,” Remus murmured and smirked at his husband who was glancing around them. No one was watching them so Sirius handed off Harry to Remus and snuck into an alleyway so he could transform. 

“Harry, Sirius is turning into Padfoot but no one can know he’s actually Sirius, alright? It’s our little secret so when we’re in the park, he’s just our family pet,” Remus explained in a whisper to the boy in his arms. 

“‘Kay,” Harry replied sleepily. 

Padfoot walked out of the alleyway and whined at Remus who rolled his eyes. “Let’s go, you mutt,” he said casually and Padfoot barked before running off towards the entrance of the park. Remus dearly hoped it wasn’t one of those parks that required dogs to be on a leash, that was something they saved for the bedroom and Padfoot despised being put on a leash in animagus form. Something about being a free animal and spirit. Remus always tuned him out when he went on that specific tirade.

They found a more secluded spot in the park so Remus could conjure up a blanket for them to sit on. It would be much less noticeable for a blanket to be conjured as they could attribute it to being in Remus’s bag but it would be much more noticeable for a human man to turn into a dog. “Go play, Padfoot. But stick close by,” Remus ordered and the black dog barked again and ran over to the nearest tree. Remus set Harry down on the blanket and he seemed more alert now that Padfoot was present, smiling broadly and giggling. 

Remus took out his and Harry’s food before looking up to see the dog with its leg lifted at the tree. Remus groaned. “Padfoot,” he sighed and Harry giggled and clapped his hands. 

“Padfoot’s peeing,” he said, absolutely delighted and Remus rolled his eyes with a fond smile. When the dog had finished his business, he ran back over towards their blanket to give a sloppy lick to Harry’s cheek and then another one to Remus’s. Remus resigned himself to his husband’s canine antics and settled on eating his pasta. Harry ate some of the chicken tenders but to be quite honest, both of them were thinking of the desserts sitting in the white plastic bag in front of them that hadn’t been shrunken. 

Once there were both satisfied and Padfoot was whining incessantly, Remus told Harry to go play with the dog. He sneakily transfigured a pinecone into a small ball that Harry could throw and the two of them went bounding off. Remus had to admit, Sirius was right about the park. It was a beautiful night and the sun was just barely setting behind them. They could hear the waves crashing against the cliff from below and the chocolate torte only made the experience better. Remus cut each Harry and himself a piece of the torte, he took out a cookie for both of them and tore a pain au chocolat in half for them to split. 

Remus looked up and saw Padfoot chasing Harry who was absolutely over the moon with glee, laughing and looking back as the large dog bounded after him with the ball in his mouth. Remus smiled. “Harry! Padfoot!” he called after watching for a minute. They both slowed down and started walking back to the blanket. Padfoot nosed his way under Harry’s hand and the boy didn’t complain. The dog and the kid sat on the cloth together, Harry a little out of breath but was excited for dessert nonetheless. 

Dessert was eaten quietly with Padfoot’s head resting on his paws and both Remus and Harry getting chocolate all over their faces. The bakery wasn’t kidding about the torte and the other treats were just as delicious. By the time Harry had polished off his cookie, his eyes were dangerously close to shutting all the way and he was leaning almost all the way over onto Padfoot’s back. Remus finished his dessert and packed everything away before picking up Harry, Padfoot rising underneath him. Harry remained a little attentive all the way out of the park and through Sirius’s quiet and quick transformation back into human form. However, he was knocked out as soon as Sirius took him from Remus. Sirius felt drool start to seep into his shirt. 

“The kid is fucking knocked,” Sirius said as they walked back down the main road of the village so they could return to their cottage. 

“He’s been ready to pass out since the bakery,” Remus snorted. 

Sirius hummed in reply. “I can’t wait to eat, I’m starving,” Sirius said after another minute. 

“Well if you hadn’t insisted on taking on Padfoot during dinner maybe you’d be more satisfied,” Remus shot back and Sirius rolled his eyes. “But honestly, Sirius, wait until you try these desserts,” Remus said, his eyes a little feral. 

“I can think of something else I’d like for dessert tonight if I’m being quite honest,” Sirius mused and Remus frowned at him.

“We haven’t got any back home,” he replied, feigning innocence that he knew would tick Sirius off. It was part of their game. 

“Remus,” Sirius breathed out. 

“Sirius,” Remus mocked in reply, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. 

“I swear to Mer—“

“Be a good dog, Sirius,” Remus cut in, an eyebrow raised. “We’ll see what you get for dessert tonight after you help me sort of everything we bought today and you’ve eaten some dinner,” he said in a voice that Sirius couldn’t help but obey, albeit, with a bit of strain tonight. 

“Fine,” he gritted out and Remus laughed. 

The whole way home, Harry didn’t stir which made him easy to put to bed when they did actually arrive home. Sirius kissed his forehead as Remus undid the charms on all the shrunken bags, sitting on the floor downstairs. Sirius joined him after a second, placing a passionate kiss on his lips. 

Sirius hadn’t even been sitting for a second before muttering, “There’s a Silencing Charm on our room.”

“Ever the impatient one,” Remus tsked, pulling out some of the clothes they’d gotten Harry. “Go eat dinner, we’ll go upstairs when you’re done,” he ordered and Sirius was quick to obey. Honestly, the unpacking of the bags could wait till the next day when Harry was awake and they could put everything away without the risk of disturbing the boy. Sirius was finished in record time and Remus rolled his eyes but followed him upstairs into their bedroom. Needless to say, it was a pretty perfect ending to the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always pls excuse any typos <3


	4. Just Over a Week at the Black Cottage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this one is longer—again. i’m posting it now because with classes starting up, i don’t know how much time i’ll have to write but i also already have the next chapter almost completely so ill put that up within a week’s time. 
> 
> here we enjoy another small trip into the village and a glimpse into the inner workings of the black-lupin-potter household a week and a day after Harry’s arrival! please enjoy :-)

It had been just over a week since Harry left Privet Drive and the little family of him, Sirius, and Remus had fallen into a bit of a routine. Every morning, Sirius would wake up around 7 and go to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee for Remus and tap the kettle so it would start heating itself so he could have a cup of tea. Then around 8 Remus and Harry would come down, usually together. Sirius still didn’t know how they coordinated their times but considering Remus would still be rubbing sleep out of his eyes and murmuring a very hoarse “good morning” to Sirius, he figured Harry was waking him up. 

Sirius would pour Harry a cup of apple juice—they had discovered that the boy held a grudge against orange juice and dumped out the carton then and there. After a few minutes, Remus’s coffee would kick in so he’d be up to make breakfast around 8:30. Harry, still in his PJs which had been mostly consisting of Sirius and Remus’s old t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants, would sit on the island counter. The two men discovered that Harry felt more comfortable even just being in the kitchen environment because it at least felt like he was helping. It was a bit of an odd setup but it made the kid comfortable. 

Once breakfast was ready, they’d regroup at the small kitchen table and eat together in mostly silence, though quite comfortable. Harry would sometimes talk about dreams he had the previous night and Sirius or Remus would discuss any plans they had for the day. Twice in the past week, one of the two men had ventured back into the village to pick up groceries and Harry tagged along with them each time. After breakfast, Harry would go shower and get dressed and Sirius would follow him upstairs while Remus sat and finished his coffee. Once Sirius was done in the bathroom, Remus would go up after him and follow his boys in suit. After that, they let the day take them wherever it wanted to. 

Sirius had discovered that Harry had a small knack for drawing and coloring which he thought might translate well into painting eventually but for now the boy was just coloring and drawing. And so, just over a week later from retrieving Harry, he and Sirius were laying on the floor in fresh clothes with pencils and paper and crayons. He and Harry had picked up the crayons on their last trip to the village. 

“What are you drawing, pup?” Sirius asked, glancing over to Harry who had his tongue poking out of his mouth in concentration. 

“Bushes,” he said earnestly and who was Sirius to question his motives. If the kid wanted to draw bushes then he should draw bushes. 

Sirius turned back to his own creation and continued working on it. Remus was in the backyard doing something with a patch of dirt, he had mentioned something about starting a garden that morning. It made sense though, for Remus to want to do something more during his day. As quiet as their life was, Sirius found himself feeling a little cooped up on more than one occasion. Sure raising a child was basically a full-time job and Harry was deserving of their attention, but Sirius felt as though eventually he and Remus would need to do something more to occupy their time, especially when Harry was to go back to primary. Thankfully, for now Harry was always more than willing to go outside and run around with him as Padfoot while Remus watched or even sometimes joined in. 

Sirius glanced back to look through the far window in the kitchen that gave a view out to their backyard. He saw Remus hard at work, sweat beading on his forehead and his cheeks red from the sun. He was using both magic and non-magic methods to prepare the dirt in the backyard to plant seeds in and Sirius couldn’t complain about the show he’d been getting. Remus used the end of his shirt to wipe his forehead and Sirius bit the bottom of his lip. Did Remus know what he was doing? Or was he woefully unaware?

“Padfoot?” Harry asked and Sirius startled a bit as he whipped to face his godson who was still laying on his stomach, a green crayon in his hand. 

“What?” he asked, trying to sound like he hadn’t just been staring at his husband and watching him get sweaty with a very concentrated look on his face. 

“Are you okay?” Harry frowned and Sirius relaxed a little and smiled at the kid. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. I was checking on our Moony is all,” Sirius replied and Harry nodded thoughtfully before turning back to his drawing again, albeit with a bit less enthusiasm this time.

Sirius tried to refocus on his own drawing, his charcoal pencil hovering above the page when Harry’s voice piped up again. “Should we bring him some lemonade or water?” he asked, a determinedly thoughtful look on his face. Sirius _loved _this kid.__

____

____

Sirius smiled at him softly and said, “Sure, let’s bring him some lemonade and see what he’s getting himself up to.” 

“Okay, I can finish this later,” Harry said, packing up his crayons and pencils. He stuck the piece of paper in the folder he’d been keeping his other drawings in. 

“How’re the bushes coming along?” Sirius asked after flipping his sketchbook closed and sitting up on the rugged floor. 

“They’re names are Hector and Yaple,” Harry said pointedly and Sirius had the grace to give him a look that said ‘please excuse my indecency’ which seemed to satisfy the boy. “And they’re okay. I want to keep on them a little more,” he said cryptically and Sirius just nodded along, acting like he knew what the kid was talking about. Harry spoke vaguely and oftentimes left Sirius and Remus in the dark until he was ready to say exactly what he meant but they supported him through it all. And usually, they’d get to see the drawings after he’d finish them. Sometimes Harry would let them keep them so they could hang it on the refrigerator. 

“Wanna scoop?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded. So the man stood up and immediately bent down to pick the boy up and carry him into the kitchen. 

He set Harry on the counter next to the refrigerator and said, “Can you get three glasses, please?” Harry was quick to oblige, turning in his spot and pulling open the cabinet door to take out three glasses. Sirius, meanwhile, pulled open the refrigerator door (which had lovely chaotic drawings of a dog and a wolf decorating it) and pulled out the jug of lemonade Remus had prepared the day before. 

They still had some treats leftover from their trip into the bakery last week so Sirius slid the chocolate torte off the top shelf and cut three slices from it. This had left it with one last piece or two more smaller pieces. Sirius decided it would be best to let Remus decide what he wanted to do with it as the werewolf had become quite smitten with the dessert. Sirius padded over to another cabinet and pulled out three small plates and brought them back over to the torte so he could dish out the three pieces accordingly. 

“Wanna help?” Sirius asked Harry who nodded and hopped off the counter on his own. 

Sirius handed Harry a plate and a glass while saying, “Alright, you give this to Remus and I’ll carry ours. Sound good?”

“Okay,” Harry said and led the way to the sliding door that led to the backyard. Sirius fumbled for a second, finding it rather difficult to open a door while holding two plates of cake and balancing two glasses full of lemonade. Finally, he growled a little in frustration and set the items in his arms down to pull out his wand. He opened the door with his hand and used his wand to levitate one plate and one glass to follow behind him. He picked up the other plate and glass with his now free hands and followed Harry outside. 

“Oh Moony!” Sirius called with a grin and his husband turned to face them, his face breaking out into a smile at that sight. 

“What’s this?” he asked, sort of breathless as they caught up to him. 

“Harry wanted to bring you a little treat. You’ve been working so hard out here and it’s bloody blazing out. Merlin, Remus how have you been out here so long?” Sirius said, the outside temperature finally catching up with him and he glanced up at the sun. 

Remus laughed, “Yeah it’s hot out here. Come on, let’s go sit in the shade. And Sirius, watch the language.” Remus turned after raising an eyebrow at his husband whose face grew red and not from the sun. 

They followed Remus to a large tree that gave off a lot of shade and plopped down. Harry handed Remus the plate of torte and the cup of lemonade which he gracefully took. “Well thank you, Harry. This is very kind of you,” he said graciously and Harry smiled bashfully. 

Sirius handed Harry the dishware in his hands before calling over the levitating items behind him. And then they all dug in together and Sirius asked Remus about his endeavor. 

“How’re you doing with it?” Sirius asked after taking a sip of lemonade. 

“Well this heat isn’t helping anything, it’s drying out the soil so much that I think I’m going to have to create some form of makeshift shade. That area is in the sun constantly since there are no trees around it so I figured putting up something that would shade it a little more shouldn’t hurt. If I’m being honest though, I don’t really know what I’m doing. I might head into town today or tomorrow to pick up a book or two if you and Harry wanted to join. We’re probably almost out of torte so we could stop and get more of that as well,” Remus explained and Sirius smiled at him before turning to Harry. And of course, he would fucking know about how much torte was still left.

“That sound okay, Harry?” Sirius asked and Harry smiled broadly after swallowing a bite of torte. Sirius took that as a yes. 

The three of them sat under the large tree behind the Cottage and enjoyed lemonade and chocolate cake (“a _torte _,” Remus would insist). It was much cooler under the cover of the tree’s shade and some of the redness dissipated from Remus’s cheeks but Sirius thought it was too hot to run around as Padfoot. Especially with Harry, he didn’t want him to get overheated so perhaps after dinner when the sun had set a little and the temperature dropped.__

____

__

“What do you say we play outside tonight, Prongslet?” Sirius offered, gauging how the kid felt about it and he nodded. 

“Okay,” Harry answered and Remus shot Sirius the look he always got when he was scheming and planning. Remus would never admit it but he was more often than not the brains behind the Marauder’s pranks at Hogwarts, especially the bigger ones like the Great Ghost Race of ‘75. Even more, Sirius would never admit it but they wouldn’t have been nearly as successful in some of the stunts they pulled without the werewolf’s help. And every time he helped them, albeit reluctantly at times, his face always had a certain expression that the rest of the Marauder’s dubbed his “master-at-work” face. It wasn’t a very good name but they were also twelve years old when devising the name and it had stuck.

Remus had his “master-at-work” expression plastered on his face and Sirius was concerned for a second that the man was thinking out an elaborate prank. But it wasn’t a prank, it was a plan that would satisfy all of them and was so simple that it was brilliant. 

“We should go into town tonight, we can go to the bookstore and then pick up some stuff from the bakery before it closes. There’s that bistro next door or a takeaway Chinese place nearby that we can get dinner at and then Padfoot can go for a run in the park with Harry,” Remus proposes and Sirius smiles widely. Remus probably couldn’t wait till the next day to go to the bookstore, it was one of the few things he’d get impatient about it. 

“Harry, what do you think?” Sirius asked, turning to the boy who nodded, mutely. He looked excited but he still didn’t verbalize much of his thoughts or ask very many questions. Sirius and Remus could tell usually when he wanted to say something or ask something so they’d stop and encourage him to do so. Usually it’d work but sometimes he’d feel a little too pressured and start to look a little panicky so the two adults would back off and give him a little more space. Harry seemed very comfortable in the Cottage, though, and he appeared to enjoy Sirius and Remus’s company. 

“It’s settled then. What’s the time,” Remus said with an easy smile and Sirius shrugged. 

“Don’t know, haven’t been paying attention,” Sirius answered with a lazy eyebrow raise and Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Alright then, let’s head back inside. We’ll probably want to leave around five so we’ll have time before the bookstore and the bakery close,” Remus said, standing up and stretching his back quickly before leaning down to grab his plate and glass. 

Sirius and Harry both stood with their dishware as well while Sirius asked, “Oh done outside for the day, are you? Finally going to be paying some attention to me?” 

“You’re _so _dramatic,” Remus answered with a roll of his eyes and a fond smile on his lips. “I pay attention to you all the time.”__

____

____

Sirius huffed and Harry giggled as they stepped over the threshold of the house to place their dirty dishes in the sink. With a flick of his wand, Sirius set a Cleaning Charm on them and returned to the living room with Harry who plopped down on the ground. The kid seemed to prefer sitting on the ground more than the couch and while Sirius was always more than willing to be with him on his level, the hard ground was starting to make his bones ache a little. When did he get so old? Azkaban didn’t help, he thought grimly. Remus wandered into the living room seconds after and announced that it was already 1 in the afternoon. 

“We didn’t have a proper lunch,” Remus said, his face a little aghast and Sirius was the one who rolled his eyes this time. 

“No matter,” Remus continued, not noticing his husband, “One day of not having a nourishing lunch will be alright but we should probably head out in four hours.”

“That’s four hours you get to relax, Rem,” Sirius said lazily, sitting with his back against the couch and arm draped over one of the cushions. 

“And shower,” Harry murmured under his breath. He had been watching Sirius and Remus the entire time but his face grew immediately red after realizing that both men heard what he had said. He looked between them with eyes wide and they widened even more when Sirius laughed loudly. Harry jumped a little and Sirius smiled at him. 

“Harry’s right, Moony,” Sirius stated, winking at the boy who was a little shocked by the reaction his godfather had to his comment. That would’ve resulted in consequences that Harry didn’t want to think about if he were with the Dursleys. But Remus took the little dig at him in stride. “You stink,” Sirius said after a second, a grin plastered on his face and Remus shot him a look.

“You’re really one to talk, Pads. You smell like dog all the time,” Remus shot back and Harry couldn’t help the giggle that left his mouth. “ _Drewgi _.”__

____

____

He didn’t understand why he didn’t receive any backlash but he did understand that Remus and Sirius were different from the Dursleys. He was starting to understand a little more that neither of them would hurt him and that they really did care about him. 

“Not all the time!” Sirius scoffed and Remus raised an eyebrow. 

“All the time,” Remus definitely promised and Sirius gave him a bit of glare. 

“Fine then, no more cuddles at night,” Sirius huffed and crossed his arms. Remus merely sighed with a fond smile on his lips. 

“Dramatic,” Harry said quietly, in a sing-song voice as he pulled his crayons closer to him and Remus burst out laughing this time. Harry didn’t know what came over him at that moment but he liked the reaction he was getting. He was merely parroting what he had heard Remus say before but he felt a little more like himself. He felt like Harry in that moment, it was like a glimpse of himself he’d never had the chance to encounter before. 

“Oh he is sassy and I adore it,” Remus said looking at Harry with a smile that reached his eyes and Harry couldn’t help but smile shyly back at him. 

“Teaming up on me,” Sirius said dramatically, obviously joking so Harry wouldn’t think he was being serious. “I cannot believe it, my own husband and godson,” he sniffed, pretending to wipe away a tear. 

“Aw, does Padfoot need a hug?” Remus asked, his voice dropping to that of which he would use on a baby or very small toddler. Sirius still nodded his head. 

Remus knelt down and hugged his husband tightly but winked at Harry during the embrace. Harry smiled again and he felt comfortable. Neither Sirius or Remus pushed him into physical affection, at least not without asking first and Harry was grateful for it. He wasn’t comfortable really with giving out hugs or cuddling or anything really because he was always afraid of retribution. He was okay with hand-holding, especially when they were out in public, and he was always willing to be carried by either Sirius or Remus. He’d always been forced to walk a little away from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, they never showed any kind affection towards him but it felt nice to be held sometimes. He preferred it particularly when he was tired and neither of the two adults had ever objected against carrying him. 

“You do need a shower, smelly,” Sirius teased after a second. Remus pulled away instantly and glared playfully at his husband who wrinkled his nose. 

“Ever the hypocrite, you mutt,” Remus said briskly and stood up. “But fine, I will go take a shower. Harry, when I come back downstairs, would you like to read for a little bit?” Remus turned to the boy who looked at him puzzled for a moment. Harry and Remus had reading time together almost every day since they’d gone to the village the week prior. Some days they would read their respective books, other days Remus would read aloud to Harry who sat with rapt attention. Sirius would typically use this time to either read a book of his own or, more frequently, continue to sketch in his sketchbook. He much preferred art to reading. 

“Okay, can I read my book?” Harry asked tentatively and Remus nodded easily. 

“ ‘Course. Go get it and I’ll be back down in a mo’” Remus answered.

Sirius and Remus took the times when Harry read on his own to try and gauge where he was at level-wise. He seemed to be reading the fiction book they got him just fine, if not a little slowly but he seemed to be comprehending the material whenever they asked him questions about it. With a little time and encouragement, Remus thought that Harry would be able to read on a higher level than most kids his age which would be extremely helpful if they were holding him out of primary for some time. There were a lot of unknowns concerning Harry’s Muggle schooling and Sirius argued that the boy didn’t even need it but Remus disagreed. So they came to the agreement that they would keep him home and do some homeschooling for at least half a year, and they would incorporate some magical studies as well just to get Harry acquainted with the Wizarding World. But for now, it was summer and they were relaxing. 

Sirius still wanted Harry to learn French, especially considering their proximity to France and the amount of French-speakers in the area. Remus wasn’t opposed to teaching the kid Welsh either. While French would be a useful skill, Welsh would be a bit more of a passion project for Remus. Remus didn’t have anyone to speak Welsh with anymore, his mother had passed away and he didn’t see his father very much. Sirius tried learning for Remus’s sake but it never stuck quite well enough and he only retained the curse words. Classic. On a similar note, Remus couldn’t speak French very well and he understood only a little so it would be a similar connection that Sirius could have with Harry to speak a language in the house that only they could understand. But it all came down to if Harry wanted to learn either in the first place because they wouldn’t make the kid do anything he didn’t want to. 

Remus came back downstairs and sat with Harry on the couch who already had his book propped open and his tongue poking out of his mouth in concentration. Remus picked up his book on child development and opened to his bookmarked page while Sirius had his sketchbook and was sitting in one of the large armchairs next to the couch. And that’s how they remained until it was 5 in the evening. It was peaceful and the little family was content. Every so often, Harry would ask how to pronounce a certain word or what a word meant. At other times, he would pause and watch Sirius shade in an area on his drawing or experimentally ask Remus if he liked what he was reading. Neither of the two adults minded his questions and they often encouraged him to ask more to try to break him out of his shell a little bit and help him move past learned habits. He was still apprehensive most of the time but he stopped asking if he could ask questions almost entirely so they were making some progress.

“Oh, look at the time,” Sirius said, glancing up at the grandfather clock on the wall. 

Remus looked up and closed his book before standing. “Get your shoes, boys,” Remus instructed and his husband and godchild complied easily. 

Within minutes, they were out the front door and on the path to the village. It was always a lovely walk but Remus feared the winters a little when it would be snowy and perhaps a little treacherous. Even during the summer on the hottest days it could become a little unbearable so Remus was glad they waited a bit for the sun to dip down. It was much more comfortable than when he was outside midday in the garden and he was already growing more noticeably fatigued with the full moon just over a week away. 

Sirius had ordered Wolfsbane potion for Remus that was set to be delivered sometime around the first day of the week that the full moon was occurring on. However, the animagus had mentioned wanting to brew it himself for Remus in their cellar once they were able to get to Wizarding France and Sirius could get to an apothecary for the ingredients. It would also be good for Harry to see some potion making and maybe even get him acquainted with it. (Especially considering Severus Snape of all fucking people was teaching Potions at Hogwarts currently.)

They stopped at the bookstore first and Remus split off from Harry and Sirius who went near the back where the children’s section was located. While Remus searched for his gardening books, Sirius spoke with Harry a little. 

“Hey pup,” the animagus started and Harry looked up to him from the bookshelf he was skimming through. 

“Hey Padfoot,” he answered back, a bit cheekily and Sirius smiled at the boy. 

“Did you know I can speak French?” Sirius asked, pretending to look at books next to him so as to not give off the idea that he was proud of his bilingualism. He didn’t know why he was putting this show on for the kid, he really was just dramatic as hell. It usually worked in his favor. 

“No, that’s cool though,” Harry stated easily, turning to look back at the books on the shelf. “I learned a bit of French in school but Dudley was in my class,” Harry said absentmindedly, starting to frown a little. “He made it hard to watch the teacher,” he ended flatly and Sirius hummed before replying. His cousin Dudley sounded like a real snot-nosed brat. 

“Well, what if you learned French with me?” Sirius offered, trying not to sound nervous. And when Harry didn’t reply, he started talking more to try to fill the void. “You know, it’s just that Dover is just across the way from France and there’s a lot of French speakers around here. I mean, I think the baker at the bakery is French and…” 

Sirius trailed off when Harry looked back to him, a look of disbelief gracing his small features. “You want to teach me French?” he asked, the very idea sounding foreign on his lips.

“Well, yeah. I think it’d be fun,” Sirius answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “We can go at a pace you're comfortable with and then we speak in French together to make fun of Moony,” he winked and Harry smiled cautiously at him. 

“Okay!” he said happily and Sirius beamed at him. He wouldn’t say anything but he felt a little triumphant. Not that it was a competition with Remus or anything but Sirius got Harry to agree to learn _his _language first.__

____

____

“Alright, pup. If you’re to learn French, we need to get you some books to help with that,” Sirius said decisively and Harry nodded. 

Harry quickly pulled a book off the shelf and held it up to Sirius. “Can I get this?” he asked and Sirius smiled as he took the book from his hands to tuck it under his arm. 

“Sure we can, Harry,” Sirius answered. Sirius would buy the kid all the books he wanted if it made him happy, he didn’t mind at all. 

Harry took Sirius’s hand and they looked around the shop for some books that would help Harry learn French as well as help Sirius teach him. Luckily, they were able to find a kid’s French dictionary and some comics that were written in French. With the comics, Harry would be able to follow along with the pictures and could maybe make out what the speech bubbles were saying with context and Sirius’s help. 

“This’ll be a good start, yeah?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded, his eyes shining. Sirius smiled at him affectionately and the boy’s cheeks redden slightly. 

“Thank you,” he said. 

“Of course, pup. It’ll be fun to learn French with me, I’ll even teach some bad words that Moony won’t recognize,” Sirius winked and Harry bit his lip as he giggled. 

“What’s that?” Remus’s voice said from behind them and Sirius startled a bit. 

“Nothing, Moonbeam!” Sirius said, a nervous edge to his voice. Remus raised an eyebrow and Sirius straightened up and held up the French books in his hand. “Harry’s going to learn French!” Sirius grinned deviously at his husband who was glaring slightly at him. No, there was definitely no competition between them at all. 

“That’s wonderful,” Remus said, his words a little tight and muffled from him gritting his teeth. “I was going to ask Prongslet if he wanted to learn Welsh,” Remus continued, chancing a glance at the boy in question who had his eyebrows raised. 

“Welsh?” Harry asked and Remus smiled at him. 

“Yes, Welsh. I’m from Wales, pup, and I was hoping we could spend some time together and I could teach you Welsh. But if you’re already going to be learning French from Sirius, I wouldn’t want to get in the way,” Remus said kindly and Harry furrowed his brow. No one ever thought this much about him, no one ever wanted to teach him anything. Even when he made breakfast for the Dursleys, Harry had to learn how to use the stove and cook the eggs and bacon on his own. It wasn’t easy. But here were Remus and Sirius, both wanting to teach him different _languages _, languages that they spoke and that he could speak with them. There was something in Harry’s heart that grew warm at the thought, something that he couldn’t explain or really understand. He was so _happy _with them, they _cared _about him and he still couldn’t figure out what he’d done to deserve it. But what he did know is that he wanted to learn Welsh, too. He wanted that connection with Remus like he would have a connection with Sirius.______

_____ _

_____ _

“Can I learn both?” Harry asked quietly, looking nervously between the two adults. Remus grinned widely like he couldn’t hold it in. 

“I would love to teach you Welsh, Harry,” Remus said gently and Harry smiled before looking to Sirius who looked rather happy as well. 

“We’ll figure out a schedule so you can learn both. You and I can goof off one day a week and then another day, Moony will take you under his Welsh wing. Moony’s a great teacher, he might even be a professor one day so you’re in good hands with him,” Sirius said kindly and Harry only smiled up at him. 

“Don’t sell yourself short, Pads. You’re a good teacher too when you want to be,” Remus chuffed and Sirius blushed a bit. He couldn’t help it when Moony complimented him.

After the books were bought (Remus found two books on gardening and horticulture that he was very excited to read), Remus was leading them out of the store and to the bakery. Remus wasn’t letting them leave without stopping at it and considering it was set to close soon, he was even more urgent to get there. They might not have a full torte like they did the week prior but he was going to buy anything he could get his hands on. Sirius, noticing his husband’s urgency, merely rolled his eyes and let Remus walk further in front of him and Harry. 

“Pup, listen to this idea,” Sirius said quietly once Remus was a good distance in front of them. Harry glanced up to Sirius and raised an eyebrow. “I’m thinking we should order that cake—“

“ _Torte _,” Harry cut in quietly and Sirius smiled with an eye roll.__

____

____

“Fine, our Moony seems to really love that _torte _so what if we put in weekly orders with the baker?” Sirius suggested and Harry’s brow furrowed.__

____

____

“Like, we come and order it every week?” Harry clarified.

“Kind of, but instead of coming back every week to order it, we just have a consistent order. Like we tell the baker today that every week for the foreseeable future, we’d like to have a torte ready for us to pick up every Wednesday or every Saturday or any other day,” Sirius explained and Harry’s head picked up at that. 

“So we’ll always have one at home and the baker will know we always want one?” Harry asked and Sirius nodded. “Yeah! We should do that! Moony loves it!” the boy exclaimed as Remus threw open the door to the bakery, not even waiting for Sirius and Harry. “I like it too,” the boy added mildly after a pause and Sirius barked out a laugh. 

“I know you do, pup. I like it too. But when we go in, listen closely. I’m going to try to speak in French with the baker, if I’m not mistaken I think he speaks it as well,” Sirius instructed and Harry nodded eagerly. 

They stepped over the threshold and Remus was already telling the baker exactly what he wanted. There wasn’t a whole torte this time but Remus still insisted that they take the rest of it. The baker relented much easier this time but looked up when Harry and Sirius walked. 

“Ah Monsieur and Monsieur petit!” he welcomed, looking as jovial as ever.

“ _Bonjour Monsieur. Est-ce que tu parles français _?” Sirius asked smoothly.  
(“Hello sir. Do you speak French?”)__

____

____

The baker looked delighted. “ _Tu as un merveilleux accent! Que puis-je faire pour vous _?”  
(“You have a marvelous accent! What can I do for you?”)__

____

____

From that point on, Remus watched skeptically and Harry stared with rapt attention as Sirius conversed with the baker in French. Neither two members of his family had any idea what they were saying though Harry had some idea what it was about. 

“My husband and godson adore your chocolate torte, we understand why you require advanced orders to purchase whole ones,” Sirius stated, his French as fresh as ever. 

“Ah, yes! I’m very happy to hear you all enjoyed it,” the baker responded, a proud grin on his face.

“Yes, so much so we’d like to set up weekly advanced orders of that torte. It seems that my husband will be here every week anyway to purchase as much as he can of it. I would say he has a sweet tooth but it’s really only chocolate that he gets this way for. I hope this won’t be too much of an inconvenience and we will of course pay full price,” Sirius explained to the baker whose face grew happier and surprised with every sentence. 

“Of course! We’d be delighted to fulfill your weekly orders! What day would you like for it to be ready every week?” the baker answered robustly and Sirius smiled. 

“Hm, what about we set the first one to be picked up tomorrow; so on Tuesdays?” Sirius offers and the baker nods vigorously. 

“Of course, sir! Every Tuesday you will have torte ready in your name! Which is?” 

“Black,” Sirius replied in English and the baker did a double-take when Sirius answered, as if something from the past came back to haunt him. 

“Black?” he asked and Sirius nodded, his palms starting to sweat and his lips drying. The Black family was never the most popular unless it was with other blood-purists, no matter where they went. “As in the residents of Black Cottage?” he asked, still in French, an eyebrow raised and Sirius nodded again.

“Yes, Black Cottage is a family home. There hasn’t been a Black family member that lived there for nearly twenty years,” Sirius explained, answering in French and the baker nodded. 

“The Black family, your family—“

Sirius raised a hand in understanding. The baker’s voice had grown a little cold. “I understand, sir. The Black family is not loved by all and rightfully so. I am the last living family member and I wish to change the reputation we’ve acquired so I kindly ask that you look past anything that may have happened with my relatives in this lovely village. I am not a representation of my relatives,” Sirius explained and the baker looked skeptical but nodded. 

“The Black family were rude and disrespectful to many of the townspeople and shopkeepers here. But I can see that you are not like them and I wish you luck on your journey to changing the way your family name is viewed,” the baker answered and Sirius inclined his head. 

“Thank you, sir,” Sirius answered respectfully and the baker nodded. The man behind the counter wrote down Sirius’s request before turning back to the small family, his usual smile back in place. 

“Anything else I can get you?” the man asked in accented English and Remus snapped out of his trance from watching the exchange between his husband and the shopkeeper. 

“Uh yes, please. We’d like three of your chocolate chip cookies,” Remus answered and that seemed to jar Harry out his own trance. 

“Yes please!” he supplied eagerly and the baker laughed broadly. 

“Of course! I’ll have those ready for you in just a second!” he answered, the smile never leaving his face. 

Sirius paid for his advanced order, the cookies, and the remaining pieces of the day’s chocolate torte. Before he left the cashier counter, the baker held out his hand. “Monsieur Black,” he states. Sirius grasped his hand back. 

“Monsieur…?”

“Lemieux,” the baker supplied. 

“Monsieur Lemieux. Thank you, I look forward to tomorrow,” Sirius said gracefully in French and the baker nodded. 

“Likewise,” he replied, also in French before switching back to English. “Enjoy the rest of your night and enjoy your cookies.” 

“What was that about?” Remus asked with a pinched look and Sirius sighed, latching onto his husband’s hand. Harry was holding the werewolf’s other hand. 

“Black family reputation bullshit,” Sirius answered and Remus gave him a pointed look because of his language but didn’t say anything. “No matter where I go, they follow me and it strains my relationships with people. And I’m not like them!” Sirius gritted out and Remus nodded along, rubbing circles on his husband's hands with his thumb. 

“I know you’re not,” Remus said gently. “Did he say anything rude?” Remus asked. It didn’t seem like they’d left on a sour note. 

“No, he didn’t but even if he did I couldn’t blame him,” Sirius answered and Remus nodded. “I just told him I’m not a representation of them and he said he understood but my relatives were rude and disrespectful to the villagers. He wished me luck in attempting to change the family reputation around here,” Sirius explained and Remus nodded. 

“Well no one else knows you're a Black yet,” Remus supplied, pausing for a second. “And I know we’ve talked about it but you can still be Sirius Lupin,” Remus offered and his husband immediately shook his head. 

“I know, and I love you so much Rem. I would do it in a second but…” Sirius trailed off.

“The Wizengamot seat,” Remus filled in and Sirius nodded. The Black family had a seat on the Wizengamot in the Ministry since its formation due to the family being one of the Sacred 28 and one who donated large sums of money to the Ministry. And as the last Black who inherited the family fortune, the family name, and the title as Head, Sirius also inherited the heirloom known as a Wizengamot seat. But if he changed his last name to Lupin, he’d forfeit every right to that seat and he didn’t want to do that. He could take his place on the judicial branch of the Wizarding government any time he pleased and he was planning on it — in a few years. He wanted time with Harry and his husband, he wanted to stay in Dover and not worry about the Ministry that fucked him over and sent him to Azkaban. But he also wanted to make a difference for muggle-borns and so-called “dark creatures” and he had the power and the money to do so. So eventually he’d enter the political sphere of the Magical World and he’d fight tooth and nail for people like Remus and for people like Lily Evans Potter because he had the power to do so. 

“I love you,” Remus said and Sirius gave his hand a squeeze. 

“I love you too, my Moonbeam,” Sirius responded.

They headed for the Chinese place to grab a quick dinner before heading to the park so Padfoot could run around. “I’m going to go stake out the park, see if anyone else is around. You two good here to wait for the food?” Sirius asked once their food was being prepared. Remus nodded but Harry looked apprehensive. While it was clear that Harry was getting more and more comfortable with Remus and Sirius, there was a special bond that had developed between Harry and Sirius. The boy didn’t like to be separated from his godfather usually but he would never say anything about it, Sirius and Remus could just tell from the look on his face. Remus didn’t take it personally, he understood that Harry sort of imprinted on Sirius after he took him from Privet Drive, it was a connection that was special and different for both parties.

“Would you like to go with Sirius, pup?” Remus asked sweetly and Harry looked to him, swallowing hard. 

“Is that okay?” he asked in a very tense, nervous voice. Remus only smiled at him in an attempt to soothe his nerves. 

“I see no reason why it wouldn’t be okay,” Remus told him, lightly resting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. The boy looked down at the hand and then back up to Remus. It was a physical touch that was welcomed, it was gentle and reassuring. Harry didn’t do hugs and he didn’t do cuddles, but soft touches that were meant to remind him that he was with people who loved him were perfect for him. 

Harry looked to Sirius who offered him a smile and held out his hand. “Let’s go, pup. If there’s no one there, I’ll transform,” Sirius said quietly and Harry took his hand. 

“Thank you, Moony,” Harry said softly and Remus nodded at him. 

Sirius gave Remus a quick peck on the lips and left the small restaurant with Harry in tow. They walked down the road to the park, the street relatively empty and Sirius figured now would be as good as time as ever to bring up the idea of taking a trip to France.

“So Prongslet, Moony and I were talking last week—“

“I’m sorry!” Harry squeaked out instantly and Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. He was still new to this whole parenting thing but as far as he knew, Harry hadn’t done anything wrong, let alone anything to be sorry about. 

“For what?” Sirius asked softly, glancing down to Harry. The boy’s grip on his hand had tightened and Sirius could feel the tension rising up in his body. 

“...I don’t know,” Harry answered quietly, shrinking away slightly. “I— I’m just sc-scared that you and M-moony will…” He trailed off. Harry didn’t finish his thoughts a lot of the time, he didn’t know how to voice them or if he even should. It hurt Sirius’s heart every time it happened, not because he didn’t think Harry didn’t want to talk to him or because he was unhappy. But because Harry was still so scared of doing anything wrong and scared to go back to Privet Drive. 

“Hey, this isn’t anything bad,” Sirius reassured, squeezing the child’s hand gently. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Harry. Everything’s okay, it might not feel like it but you have no reason to be scared. Moony and I are so happy you’re here with us, we’re so happy you’re a part of our family.” Harry sniffled. Sirius slowed their pace down. 

“I—“ Harry choked out but he didn’t seem to be able to say anymore. _Family _. _Family _. _Family _. Harry has never felt more at home, more loved. He has never been happier than he had been with Sirius and Remus. Padfoot and Moony. His family. It felt foreign, even in his brain. Yes, the Dursleys were his related family but they were never his and he was never theirs.______

_____ _

_____ _

“You can say it, Harry. You can say anything you want, you don’t have to be afraid and if you are, that’s okay. It’s okay to be afraid, but you’re safe as long as you’re with us,” Sirius told him calmly, fully coming to a stop now so he could get down on a knee to be on Harry’s level, the way the boy liked. 

“Family,” he croaked and Sirius gave him a smile that reached all the way up to his eyes and nodded.

“Family,” he confirmed, his voice strong and sturdy. 

“Okay,” Harry breathed out. He didn’t notice he’d been crying. 

“Is there anything else you’d like to say? You don’t have to, but in case you want to tell me anything, anything at all, even if it’s just your favorite color, please. Don’t be afraid to tell me or Remus anything. We are here for you,” Sirius told him, his voice still quiet and even and Harry only cried harder. He didn’t _understand _but maybe he didn’t have to understand. He just knew he didn’t want Sirius, or Remus, to leave him, he didn’t want to be alone because he knew what it meant to not be alone now and he so much more preferred it.__

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____

“Don’t leave me,” Harry exclaimed and threw himself at Sirius. Sirius accepted him with open arms and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Harry hugged him, Harry hugged him. Harry never hugged anyone before, even when Sirius hugged him on Privet Drive just about a week ago, Harry barely returned the gesture.

“Never in a million years,” Sirius said back, his voice a little hoarse from being choked up by the boy’s action. It was such a fierce exclamation of emotion that Harry had almost never displayed since his life began in Dover. Sirius reached a hand up and began petting Harry’s hair and held him close. 

“Family,” Harry repeated again, his voice watery and wavering but so sure and firm at the same time. “Home.”

“Yes, Harry. You’re our family and you are home,” Sirius confirmed and Harry buried his face into Sirius’s neck. Sirius let the dam burst. He couldn’t help but cry. James’s son, his brother-in-everything-but-blood’s child was here with him and he was happy and figuring things out. He was loved and he would always know love from this point on. It was bittersweet, a little too bitter if Sirius thought about it for too long. He focused on Harry. 

Harry was the first to pull out of the embrace and Sirius held onto his shoulders to give him a heartfelt smile, his cheeks still moist from his own tears. Harry’s eyes were red-rimmed, their green hue even more pronounced. But he was smiling. 

“Speaking of family,” Sirius cleared his throat, “I was going to ask if you’d want to take a trip to Paris in a few weeks with Remus and I to Wizarding France.”

“A trip?” Harry asked, his voice still shaky. Sirius nodded. 

“We think it’d be good to get you some exposure to our world, your world,” Sirius explained and Harry nodded but he looked unsure. “You don’t have to decide now, we were thinking in a few weeks so if you feel up to it, we’ll head to Paris for a weekend,” Sirius said softly and the kid nodded again. 

“Okay, I think...maybe…”

Sirius smiled again. “Maybe is a fine answer.”

When they finally reached the park, Sirius figured it would only be a matter of minutes before Remus caught up to them. No one was around them but they still wound up in a more secluded spot just in case someone went amiss in their search. Harry was a little shaky but he held Sirius’s hand tightly the whole time and the older man still knew that the boy was wary of being left and disregarded. Sirius would never have a problem reminding him that he was safe and loved; that he wouldn’t be left alone. 

“Ready?” Sirius asked and Harry, who’d sat on a nearby tree root, nodded with an eager smile. In seconds Padfoot was standing right where Sirius was. Harry clapped and laughed. Sirius didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing the kid’s glee-ridden face after he transformed. 

Padfoot barked and began wagging his tail. Harry stood up and Padfoot turned to run so the boy could follow after him. Harry laughed as he ran after the large dog who was panting and prancing around. A few times Harry managed to catch him but Padfoot always got a way. After a few minutes, Harry stopped to catch his breath and Padfoot stopped as well, turning to face him and bowed down into a play stance, waiting for Harry to recover. Padfoot was wagging his tail and panting loudly and Harry was smiling and breathing heavily but he was tired. He sat on the hard ground and Padfoot relaxed his stance and gently padded up next to the boy. He whined and Harry smiled more. 

“ I‘m fine,” Harry murmured, understanding the dog’s question. Harry found it easier to communicate with Sirius when he was Padfoot. 

Padfoot pushed his paws out in front of him and laid down the ground next to Harry so he could rest his chin on the boy’s knee. Harry’s hand instinctively went to go rub behind the dog’s ears and Padfoot took a deep sigh and closed his eyes in contentment. Harry sighed and closed his eyes too. After a few seconds, someone cleared their throat and both boy and dog whip their heads around to find Remus staring at them with a fond smile. 

“Care for some dinner?” he asked cheekily and Padfoot whined at him. “Oh okay, fine Pads. You can transform back but go to do it behind the tree,” Remus said with an eye roll. 

He must’ve been there for some time considering a blanket was already laid on the ground and their food was out with the lids of the containers removed. Padfoot stood up and shook his body out and Harry laughed, following suit including shaking his body of any dirt. Padfoot barked and jumped to lick Harry’s face in good humor. 

“Padfoot, _down _,” Remus ordered but a smile still on his lips. “If you don’t go transform now, Harry and I will eat all your dumplings,” he threatened and Padfoot managed to look betrayed and whined before dropping his head and walking slowly to the tree. Harry laughed again and joined Remus on the blanket who handed him a fork the instant he got there.__

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____

“Even as a dog, your godfather is dramatic as hell—heck!” Remus said, shaking his head. His face went red after he tried to correct himself but Harry giggled. Remus really tried to control his tongue the last few days and he was a bit of a hypocrite for always citing Sirius on it when he almost said “fuck” and “shit” multiple times in front of the kid. Remus secretly thought Sirius enjoyed watching the werewolf control his language since it’s been colorful since their first year at Hogwarts. It was hard to train himself out of it. 

Sirius joined them on the blanket and they all enjoyed a quick meal together. They talked a little about France and Harry seemed eager about the idea but not like he was too sure about whether he wanted to go or not. They also talked about the full moon coming up and what would need to happen. Sirius and Remus didn’t want Harry to be afraid but they didn’t want him to be reckless either. 

“Harry, when Moony transforms we can’t have you being around him,” Sirius told the boy who looked extremely upset. 

“But if Moony is hurt how will he get help?” Harry asked, looking slightly panicked. 

“It’ll be better this time, kid. I’ll be taking a special potion called Wolfsbane so even though I still transform, I won’t lose my mind to the wolf. I’ll be able to curl up on the bed in the attic for the whole night and I’ll be able to remember you and Sirius,” Remus explained and Harry still looked upset. 

“But then—“ Harry started but cut himself off, thinking hard. “If you’re still going to be Moony then me and Sirius can keep you company,” he said with a bit of a smile and Remus returned it, although a little sadly. 

“I can’t let you and Sirius do that, pup. I don’t trust myself—“

“We trust you,” Harry said firmly, cutting Remus off with a fierce look of determination on his face. Both Remus and Sirius were taken aback slightly but his interruption and even more so when he didn’t back down. Harry was intent on this and Harry said he _trusted _Remus.__

____

____

“He’s got a point,” Sirius pointed out, the first to recover from the little bit of shock. 

Remus shook his head. “No,” he demanded firmly. “Something could go wrong, I won’t put you in that kind of danger, either of you,” he said strongly and Harry didn’t bat an eyelash. Sirius thought that was progress at least, he’s sure of himself in this and he’s using his voice. And Sirius agreed with him. 

“Moons, when we at school, we all ran around and we’re—“

“Idiots, we were idiots Padfoot. And this is different, Harry is here and he isn’t Prongs. He’s going to need you,” Remus interrupted, his voice unwavering and Sirius glared at him.

“You’re going to need us,” Harry said fiercely and Remus smiled at him kindly. 

“I’ll be able to rest easy knowing you two are safe downstairs,” Remus tells him kindly and Harry frowns. “I’m not wavering on this, Harry. I’m sorry, but please trust me I only have your best intentions at heart.”

Harry didn’t like it. Harry didn’t want his Moony to be alone on a night where he was hurt. “So do we,” he murmured before picking up his rice and shoveling some of it in his mouth. Sirius snorted and raised an eyebrow to Remus who shook his head, a smile on his lips. 

~

When the family returned to the Cottage, it was dark and past Harry’s bedtime. But the kid was still awake despite being carried by Remus the whole way home. He was mad at Remus—not really mad but a little mad—because of the whole full moon thing so he insisted that Remus carried him. Harry made it seem like a chore, Remus found it to be a pleasure.

There were two owls perched on the window sill in the living room that immediately fluttered over to Sirius and Remus. The latter let Harry down who was staring in awe at the two creatures that had letters attached to their feet. The one who went to Remus had a package on its leg. “Owl post, Harry,” Sirius said simply while removing the letter from the owl that came to him. 

“Wolfsbane,” Remus said shortly, opening the letter and reading it. He grimaced a bit. “Harry, do you want to let the owl perch on you?” Remus asked, noticing the boy’s excitement. Harry nodded eagerly and the owl immediately fluttered over to rest itself on Harry’s shoulder. He looked at it with wide eyes and Remus smiled. “You can stroke it,” he said softly and Harry brought his hand up and slowly brought it down the bird’s flank. 

“Letter from Dumbledore,” Sirius gritted out and Remus looked at him. 

“What the fuck does he want?” Remus asked angrily. His cheeks turned pink at Harry’s giggle. “Sorry, Harry. Bad word, don’t—“

“Let it go, Remus,” Sirius said, half-paying attention, reading the letter over again. “Here,” he shoved the letter to Remus and then shifted the owl over to his other hand so he could bring it to rest on Harry’s other shoulder causing the boy to clap in absolute adornment. Remus read the letter, his blood boiling a little. 

_Sirius and Remus _,__

____

____

_I hope you’re all settling in well together. I hope Harry is safe and happy. The full is coming up and I know Sirius said you’ve taken all precautions necessary but I still worry. Please, if there is anything you two need at all to care for Harry, just send an owl my way and I’ll see what I can do _.__

____

____

_I hope you have heeded my warning about taking Harry into the Wizarding World and have maybe rethought the idea of him meeting the Weasleys _. (They haven’t.) _I only have Harry’s best interest at heart in the matter and I fear for what may happen if he’s to meet other wizards before it is time for him to attend Hogwarts _. (They don’t care.) _Harry is already on a pedestal in our world and he shouldn’t be subjected to the fame he has incurred from the death of Lily and James, it is unfair to him and may have dire consequences _. (They know.)______

_____ _

_____ _

_I know neither of you probably trust me very much as of now but as I said before, I only have Harry’s best interest at heart. There are things you don’t know, things even I don’t know. I know Sirius said he wanted me out of Harry’s life until Hogwarts but I still feel it might be best to have communications between us. I will be extending that offer through a visit, not by me personally but consider it an olive branch. Expect a visitor or two tomorrow. I await your reply _.__

____

____

_Yours, _  
_Albus Dumbledore _____

_____ _

_____ _

“A visitor?” Remus hissed.

“Or two,” Sirius tacked on grimly. 

“Minnie?” Remus asked, his heart feeling a little lighter. Their old Head of House was a good woman, she wouldn’t steer them wrong. 

“We can only hope the old man would be so kind,” Sirius spat. “Wonder who else it could be,” Sirius wondered and Remus sighed. 

“What kind of ‘olive branch’ could he offer?” Remus asked and Sirius shrugged. 

“Olives!” Harry exclaimed joyfully, the owls on his shoulders hooting in agreement. “Can we give them olives?” Harry asked hopefully and Sirius smiled. 

“I’m not sure if olives are in an owl’s diet, Prongslet,” Sirius laughed and the owls in the room hooted indignantly. Sirius raised his hands in surrender. “Apparently they do.” 

Sirius went into the kitchen and pulled out a small jar of olives to give to Harry who happily fed the birds on his shoulders. They nipped at his ears and fingers affectionately and Harry looked absolutely overjoyed at the attention. Once they had their fill, Remus put some galleons in the pouch of the Wolfsbane owl. Harry led the birds back to the window and it nipped Harry again before taking off into the night. The second one, the one Dumbledore sent, hopped off Harry’s shoulder onto the perch at the window and hooted softly before tucking its head under its wing. 

“Alright you little owl charmer, it’s time for you to go to sleep as well,” Remus said and Harry turned and nodded. The boy let out a wild yawn and held out his arms. Remus obliged. 

“Want me to read a story?” Remus asked as he headed up the stairs while Sirius unpacked the wares from their trip. Harry was already asleep. 

Remus smiled as he laid Harry on his bed and kissed his forehead gently. He left the door cracked and headed back downstairs to help Sirius. 

“Out before we even got up the stairs,” Remus said as he sat on the couch next to his husband. 

“Wonderful,” Sirius said sweetly, placing a kiss on the werewolf’s lips. Remus smiled as he deepened it which was very welcomed by Sirius. “I love you,” Sirius murmured into his lips. 

“I love you too,” Remus answered, resting his forehead against Sirius’s. Whatever came at them, Remus knew they would make it through. He wasn’t sure why he knew it in that instant but it made him smile. 

They finished unpacking all their treats, putting the torte in the refrigerator and the books on the bookshelf. Sirius made sure the owl had some treats in a dish and some water in another one. It wasn’t the bird’s fault it had to deliver Albus’s letter. 

Remus and Sirius met in the middle of the room and kissed each other. Sirius threw his arms over Remus’s neck and the werewolf hugged him around the waist. It was a sweet kiss, one that was perfect to end their night. And then there was a scream. 

~

_“I’ll be good, I’m sorry! I promise I’ll be good, I didn’t mean to!” Harry said frantically, propped on his elbows on the ground as his Uncle loomed over him._

____

____

_“You won’t be going back,” Vernon snarled with a nasty grin. “Those freaks won’t be coming back for you!” ___

____

____

_“No!” Harry screamed._

____

____

_Vernon laughed as he held up the belt to bring down on Harry’s small body. Harry cowered against the floor, holding up a hand to cover his head. “I’m sorry!” he exclaimed again as the belt came down on his arm that was raised._

____

____

__“Thought you could get away, couldn’t you?” Vernon asked. “Little freak!”_ _

_____ _

_____ _

_“Padfoot! Moony!” Harry shouted as he searched frantically for them._

____

____

_Vernon roared with laughter. “Calling out for those weirdos? They can’t help you now!” There was a malicious glint in Vernon’s eyes as he jerked his head to his side and Harry’s eyes traveled to find his godfather’s bodies crumpled together, bleeding and bruised._

____

____

_“Harry,” Sirius whispered, meeting the boy’s eyes and Harry screamed again._

____

____

_“No!”_

____

____

_“Harry,” Remus said, his voice soft and his eyes kind. “Wake up, Harry,” Remus said._

____

____

Harry jerked awake and sat up breathing heavily. His head connected with something and he let out a cry of pain. Where was he? What happened? Sirius and Remus were hurt! Uncle Vernon hurt them and he couldn’t help them!

“Harry!” Sirius' voice cut through the fog and he frantically looked to find familiar grey eyes. 

Concern filled Sirius’s face and his mouth was moving. What was he saying?

“Calm down, pup,” Harry heard. His hand was moved and placed over something solid. Sirius’s chest. His heart was beating. 

“Follow the rhythm,” Sirius instructed gently and Harry felt the ringing in his ears die down a bit. When did his ears start ringing?

“That’s it, pup,” Sirius cooed. “Breath easy, there you go,” Sirius continued and Harry could hear him and he could focus on him. His eyes shifted and he saw Remus rubbing his forehead. Harry rubbed his own forehead, a slight sting was there he hadn’t realized before. 

“You’re alright,” Remus said softly and Harry swallowed hard.

“Y-you and U-uncle V-Vernon…” Harry swallowed again.

“It’s alright, pup. You had a nightmare,” Sirius said gently, his eyes full of understanding. “A bad dream, that was all it was,” he continued and Harry nodded. 

“Y-you’re not...hurt?” Harry asked shakily and Sirius smiled. 

“No, though you conked Remus pretty hard with your noggin,” Sirius snickered and Remus smiled softly. 

“ ‘S alright, Harry,” Remus said when Harry started shaking. “Doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Do you want to talk about your dream?” Sirius asked gently and Harry shook his head. 

“I-it was scary,” he said, his voice cracking. “Uncle V-vernon s-said I wouldn’t be g-going back. He said y-you couldn’t help—“ Harry’s voice cracked and he choked out a sob. “Y-You were hurt!” he wailed and sobbed racked his body. 

“I’m going to hug you,” Sirius warned right before pulling the boy into his chest. “Remus and I are fine. We will always help you when you need it, you’re safe,” Sirius whispered and Harry cried in reply. 

Remus found his way into the hug and soon Harry was squished in between the two men. “It was just a bad dream, pup,” Remus reassured and Harry gasped for breath through his tears. He was so scared. 

“We’re always here for you and your Muggle uncle would never be able to hurt either of us. And he’ll never be able to hurt you again, Rem and I will make sure of it,” Sirius supplied and Harry finally started to calm down a little. Sirius and Remus’s hearts broke at the sight of Harry absolutely racked with fright and sobbing. He was so young and so small. 

“Why did it happen?” Harry asked and Sirius sighed. He looked at Remus over Harry’s head and gave him a small smile. 

“Sometimes it just happens, pup. If we’re really scared or we’ve been through something that hurt us in any way, we can have bad dreams about it. But they’re never real and it’s always good to have people nearby who can help. I know it always helps me when Remus is nearby, he can calm me down in seconds these days,” Sirius explained and Harry hiccuped. 

“You have nightmares too?” he asked. 

“Sure I do. Get ‘em all the time,” Sirius said gently. “Sometimes they're about my childhood, other times they’re about being back in prison, other times they’re about losing you or Moony. They’re scary and I hate them but they’re never real. After all I’m here and I got you and Moony with me,” he explained and Harry’s cries softened to whimpers. 

“Sometimes I have some about hurting the ones I love or about the night I was turned into a werewolf,” Remus continued. “Sometimes I have them about being back at school in losing control even without the moon being full but like Sirius said, they’re never real. And we always have each other to help us through them,” Remus explained and Harry sniffled. 

“And just like me and Moony have each other, you have us. We’ll always help you calm down from a nightmare, we’ll always remind you they aren’t real and that you’re safe,” Sirius said and Harry nodded in the embrace. 

“How are you feeling, pup?” Remus asked. 

“Not tired,” he admitted and both adults smiled. 

“Yeah, that makes sense. You’re a little afraid to go back to sleep?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded again. 

“What do you say we stay with you until you fall back asleep?” Remus offered and Harry shuddered. “Or you could stay in our bed tonight so we’ll be nearby just in case?” Remus modified.

“Is that okay?” Harry asked. 

“Course it is, come on,” Sirius answered immediately, picking Harry up and Remus fell away from the embrace but kept a gentle hand on Harry’s back. “I’ll even turn into Padfoot, alright? Padfoot always helps our Moonbeam,” Sirius said and Harry nodded as Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Padfoot always leaves hair in the bed,” Remus snorted and Sirius smirked at him. 

“Good thing we’re wizards and can get rid of it quickly,” Sirius snarked and Harry giggled. 

Sirius put Harry on the bed in his and Remus’s room. “Stay right there, we’ll be right back, we promise,” Sirius instructed and Harry nodded as he scurried under the covers. Harry had only been in their room once so he took some time to actually look at it while his guardians changed in the bathroom. 

Sirius transformed into Padfoot in the bathroom and Remus rolled his eyes, “Go comfort our pup, you mutt. I’ll be there in a mo’” Remus ordered and Padfoot stood on his hind legs and put his paws on Remus's shoulders, licking the man’s face who laughed. 

“Yes, yes, alright Padfoot, I love you too,” Remus laughed and pushed the dog down. With a shake of his fur, Padfoot turned and went back to the bedroom while Remus brushed his teeth quickly. Padfoot jumped onto the bed and a tired-looking Harry grinned lopsidedly and patted the spot next to him. Padfoot went to the spot and curled up next to Harry who turned and rested his head on Padfoot’s flank. Harry ran his fingers through Padfoot’s fur gently and Remus joined the bed on the other side of Harry. He pulled out a book and read with the light on, fairly sure that Harry would be asleep in no time. 

“Harry?” Remus asked a few minutes. The man was only met with gentle breaths from the sleeping child. “Padfoot?” Remus tried and the dog groaned, obviously awake but only begrudgingly. 

“I love you both,” Remus said with a smile. Padfoot heaved a giant sigh and turned slightly more into his side without waking Harry. Within minutes, the dog was knocked out and Remus watched his husband and godson with a small smile on his face. He really did get so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u already know... typos...i’m sorry
> 
> also kudos and comments are much appreciated and i will answer as many as i can when i get around to them <3


	5. Visitors Approach! Harry is a Little Shit Sometimes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so my initial vision for this story has changed and things are going to get a little more complicated but everyone will be happy by the end and anyone who deserve comeuppance will receive it in due time. but right now in our journey, harry is to meet two new faces and remus has a job to do and sirius is resentful and polite at the same time. in other words! they have guests! 
> 
> translations for french and welsh will be at the end notes!!
> 
> enjoy!!!!! (i made up the title for this chapter while extremely sleep deprived and i am already shit at titling things, pls do not not read because of my absolute stupidity, i love you dear reader <3 )

Sirius woke up grumpy the next morning despite being Padfoot. Even in dog form he couldn’t help but think of the visitors Dumbledore was sending them. Why couldn’t the old man just sod off and leave them alone? Harry was fine, he was happy and he was growing and he was getting better. Dumbledore had no right to be involved in Harry’s life, especially not since Sirius was let out of Azkaban and could rightfully take his godson into his home. And what was this nonsense about “things he didn’t know”. It only made him angrier. Harry was his responsibility and if there were things he needed to know in order to care for him and help him, then he would have to force Dumbledore to tell him one way or another. 

Padfoot lifted his head and saw Harry and Remus asleep on the bed. Sometime in the middle of the night, Harry must’ve shifted over to sleep against Remus because his husband had an arm thrown around the boy and a book that was forgotten on his chest. The light was still on too; Remus fell asleep reading again. 

Padfoot jumped down from the bed and shook his body out to wake up a bit before he turned back into Sirius. In his human form, Sirius smiled at his husband and godson, Remus had been quite taken with Harry since the boy’s first night at the Cottage and Harry seemed to really love Remus back. The prior groaned in his sleep and his hand reached out to his side, patting around for the dog that had been there all night. “Padfoot?” the boy murmured, his voice full of sleep. 

“I’m right here, Harry,” Sirius said, sitting back on the bed and grabbing his godson’s hand. Harry’s nightmare last night was his first and Sirius didn’t think it’d be a one-off occurrence. And if Harry felt better sleeping in their bed, then Sirius wouldn’t be the one to deny him that comfort. Sirius hoped that he and Remus would be able to get Harry comfortable and help him feel safe enough to the point where we had minimal nightmares. 

“Why are you awake?” Harry whispered, still snuggled into Remus’s side. His husband was in an extremely deep sleep as he usually was. Remus had always been a heavy sleeper considering it was typically hard for him to fall asleep in the first place. 

“It’s early, pup. I was gonna go downstairs and put the kettle on and make Moony a cup of coffee,” Sirius whispered, swinging his legs back onto the bed. 

“Hmm ‘kay,” Harry murmured though his voice sounded more alert. 

“Wanna come with me? Depending on the time I might go pick up that torte from the bakery,” Sirius whispered and Harry turned to face a little more, his green eyes glossy and filled with sleep. His hair was chaotic as it usually was in the morning but he seemed to be fairly awake. 

“Okay,” Harry mumbled. 

“Careful not to wake Remus, he’s not a morning person,” Sirius snickered, helping Harry out of Remus’s side embrace. Hopefully, the werewolf would remain asleep for another few hours now that he didn’t have to worry about Harry waking him.

Harry didn’t argue when Sirius carried him from the bedroom to the kitchen downstairs, the older man thought the kid had even fallen back asleep on the short journey downstairs. Sirius rested the boy on the counter top in the kitchen and tapped the kettle that sat on the stove. Harry watched lazily as Sirius prepared two mugs, one for his tea and the other for Remus’s coffee. He poured Harry a cup of apple juice while the kettle was heating.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip. 

“So, what do you say to a quick trip to the village this morning?” Sirius asked, standing next to Harry. 

He shrugged. It seemed that Harry wasn’t too much of a morning person either but he also wasn’t asking to go back to sleep.

“Sure,” he mumbled. Sirius nodded and the kettle whistled loudly only seconds later.

“We can grab something from the bakery for breakfast this morning, too. Maybe a scone or something,” Sirius said, pouring out the water to make his tea and Remus’s coffee. 

“Pain au chocolat?” Harry asked, seeming to be more awake at the mention of breakfast from the bakery. Sirius laughed. 

“Sure, pup. Pain au chocolat,” Sirius answered and they fell into silence. 

Harry finished his apple juice and Sirius drank his tea. “Why don’t you go put your glasses on and I’ll put a Statis Charm on Remus’s coffee and then we’ll head out,” Sirius reasoned and Harry nodded wordlessly before putting his cup down and jumping off the counter. 

Harry, still sleepy, went up the stairs on wobbly legs and Sirius watched him go, sipping out of his almost empty mug. Sirius wasn’t planning to change out of his pajamas and he didn’t expect Harry too either. They were only going to the bakery in the village anyway.

Sirius fed the owl that was still on the perch in their home some treats and made sure it still had a bowl full of water. Harry came down the steps slowly after a few minutes, glasses perched on his small nose, while Sirius put their cups in the sink to be washed later. Harry put on a pair of shoes that were near the front door and Sirius came to join him. Instinctively, Harry raised his arms up and Sirius lifted him onto his hip without a second thought. Today was definitely a nap day, Sirius thought, the kid was beyond tired and he’d gotten up earlier than he usually did. 

The walk into the village was breezy as the early morning sun peeked through the clouds. Sirius held Harry onto his hip the whole time—the boy still incredibly too light—and neither talked at all. It was comfortable though. The main road in the village was positively empty save from the cafe worker cleaning the outdoor tables and waiting for customers to arrive. Harry yawned wildly and Sirius chuckled. “You know, you could’ve gone back to sleep, pup,” Sirius said softly and Harry shrugged. 

“Didn’t want to,” he yawned again and who was Sirius to argue with that logic. 

The breeze followed them into the bakery as the bell attached to the door rang to announce their entrance. “Monsieur Black!” the baker said happily and Sirius gave him a nod of his head. “And Monsieur petit! Come to pick up the torte?” the Lemieux asked in accented English. 

“Yes please,” Harry answered quietly and Sirius beamed at him. Rarely did Harry answer an adult that wasn’t him or Remus without confirming that it was okay. 

“And three pain au chocolats, please,” Sirius tacked on and Lemieux gave a hearty laugh. 

“Of course, of course!” the man said jovially. Sirius was thankful that the town baker hadn’t shunned him since revealing that he was a member of the Black family to him. Perhaps he was more than his family reputation after all; the thought made his hand feel heavy. He ignored the feeling completely.

Lemieux rang up their order and handed the box with the torte in it to Sirius and two bags to Harry who grasped them in his tiny fist. “Thank you, as always,” Sirius said in French and the man waved his hand away. 

“No problem,” he answered, keeping his English. “It is the least I can do for such kind customers. I’ve included a few iced buns, no purchase necessary. We have quite a few leftover from this morning’s bakes and your business is always appreciated here,” the man answered casually and Sirius grinned. 

“Thank you,” Sirius answered with a small bow. “Have a good day,” he turned and headed out the door with Harry on his hip, a box full of torte for Remus in his hand. 

~

Remus woke up to an empty bed. It wasn’t all that unusual but Harry had fallen asleep in their bed that night and he wasn’t an early riser like Sirius. Remus frowned. Perhaps Harry went back to his room in the middle of the night? Or maybe Sirius had taken him out of bed so he wouldn’t wake the werewolf today? To be fair, Remus was completely unsure of what time it was. With Harry consistently waking him up every morning, he didn't feel the need to set an alarm any longer so he squinted at the wall clock that was across from his and Sirius’s bed. It read 8:30. Not too much later than usual, Remus thought while swinging his legs out of the bed. 

Remus thought of how crazy it had been to Apparate to this cottage in Dover with Sirius only a few months ago and how dreary it had remained in all its years of disuse. Despite it being one of the happier looking Black family homes, the Dover Cottage was dusty and dank when they arrived. They spent the first week just cleaning it from top to bottom before they even thought of renovating it in any way. Sirius insisted that Remus worked on replacing wallpaper and painting while he took care of silver finishings and any other potential “dark creature traps”. There had been far less Dark magic in the Cottage than, say, at Grimmauld Place but all the same, Sirius’s family were blood-purists through and through. Remus thought Sirius was proud of them when all was said and done and the Cottage looked happy and didn’t reek of mildew of Dark magic. Remus was proud of them too. 

The werewolf was pulled out of his thoughts while he was brushing his teeth. He heard the front door shut which could either mean Sirius had left the house or he was just returning. Perhaps Harry was with him. Remus quickly finished cleaning his teeth before making it look like he wasn’t hurrying to get downstairs. 

“Moony can get cranky in the morning,” Sirius snickered and Harry giggled. Remus stopped at the bottom of the stairs to listen to what his two monkeys were saying. “But I think this’ll make him happy,” the man continued and Remus raised an eyebrow and huffed indignantly. He wasn’t _cranky _in the morning, he was just… tired! And what was Sirius talking about? And where did they come from? Considering the closing of the front door he heard, it should have indicated their return.__

____

____

“Can I go wake him?” Harry asked, a slight whine to his voice that told Remus the kid was still very much exhausted. 

“Sure thing, pup. And don’t be discouraged if he doesn’t get up immediately, he likes to pretend to be asleep sometimes,” Sirius informed Harry and the boy’s little feet hit the ground. Remus stepped away from the steps. Harry ran into his legs. 

“Moony!” Harry exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. 

“Prongslet!” Remus exclaimed back and Sirius came out from around the wall of the kitchen. 

“Moony!” Sirius exclaimed, parroting the toddler.

“Padfoot!” Remus said back happily. 

“We got you something,” Harry said, grabbing onto Remus’s hand and pulling him into the kitchen. When they stepped over the threshold, Remus felt his heart clench as it filled up with entirely too much love and adoration. What did he do to deserve such a wonderful little family? The table was set with three plates, each with their own pain au chocolat, a serving dish had a full chocolate torte sitting on it, and there was another plate filled with iced buns. And the plate stationed at his usual seat had a cup of coffee steaming away with a small phial full of potion sitting next to it. It was officially the week before the full moon, Remus realized, and Wolfsbane potion was sitting waiting for him. 

“Wow, thank you,” Remus said genuinely and Harry looked up at him with a wide grin. 

“We ordered that torte you like!” Harry said happily and Remus smiled down at him. 

“That’s very sweet of both of you,” Remus told the boy and Sirius came up behind them and planted a kiss on Remus’s cheek. 

“In fact, we have a recurring weekly order so this house will always having Moony’s favorite chocolate cake—“

“ _Torte _,” two voices interrupted and Sirius rolled his eyes.__

____

____

“Fine, Moony’s favorite _torte _will always be in the house,” Sirius explained and Remus was genuinely touched. It was always things like this that Sirius did that reminded the werewolf of how considerate his husband can be.__

____

____

“Is that what you were speaking in French with the baker about yesterday?” Remus asked with a cheeky smile. 

“Maybe,” Sirius said, his voice filled with aloofness. “But come now, breakfast is served,” the man concluded and Remus didn’t have to be told twice. 

The family of three sat at the table together and dug into delicious pastries that were as fresh as they come. “So you went into the village this morning just to pick this up?” Remus asked, ripping part of his pastry off and putting it in his mouth. 

“Yeah, I woke up this morning and was gonna head out to get it but then the pup woke up so I brought him along,” Sirius explained. “The pain au chocolat were his idea,” Sirius said with a fond eye roll and a jerk of his head to Harry. 

“Padfoot wanted to get scones,” Harry supplied, his face scrunching up and Remus laughed. 

“Well I’m glad someone in this house has some sense,” Remus snorted and Sirius feigned hurt. 

“You two always gang up on me,” Sirius tutted and Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, Sirius. Harry and I love seeing you upset,” Remus said monotonously and Sirius sighed dramatically.

“I knew it. It only hurts more to hear it out loud,” Sirius bemoaned and Harry giggled. 

“Moony’s only joking, Padfoot,” Harry reminded Sirius, chocolate smeared all over his face. “You’re just dramatic.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him but Harry didn’t back down. That was progress. “Well you, mister, have chocolate all over your face so I don’t know if you should be talking,” Sirius retaliated and Harry wiped his face with his shirt sleeve before sticking out his tongue. Sirius smiled at the boy. 

They finished eating breakfast in silence save for the sounds of chewing and Remus downing his cup of coffee. “Anyone want anything else?” Remus asked and Harry reached for an iced bun with a mischievous smile on his face. 

“No!” he exclaimed loudly and Remus rolled his eyes at him. He picked up everyone’s plates and brought them to the sink where his boy's cups were from earlier that morning. 

“What do you say we have a PJ day, pup?” Sirius asked Harry who nodded, putting the end of the bun into his mouth. “But we still have to shower, can’t have you stinking up the place,” Sirius smiled and Harry looked defiant. 

“You’re one to talk, _drewgi _,” Remus piped up and Sirius smirked.__

____

____

“Yeah, yeah whatever you say, _malodorant _,” Sirius shot back. “And you,” Sirius said pointedly when Harry continued his giggles, “ _cerf puant _, need to get that butt upstairs and shower. We have guests coming over at some point.”____

_____ _

_____ _

Harry’s face fell at the sound of people coming to their home. He’d been so happy in their little bubble, the Cottage was a safe space away from the world and the village was his small glimpse into outside life. Harry was very much enjoying his life and he didn’t want other people coming into it. What if they made him go back to the Dursleys? What if they were like the Dursleys? What if they were the Dursleys? Sirius and Remus said he’d never had to go back but did they ever say he’d never have to see them again? But Sirius didn’t seem to like his relatives so it wouldn’t make much sense for them to visit. 

“Pup, it’s okay. These are people from our world,” Sirius reassured. “They're just coming to check up on us is all. It’s nothing bad, Rem and I will be here the whole time and they won’t take you away,” Sirius grounded and Harry nodded, obviously seeing the boy’s change in demeanor. 

“Yeah, no one could ever take you away from us, Prongslet,” Remus supplied, coming back into the little sitting area. “They couldn’t even if they tried.”

“Are they nice?” Harry breathed and both men smiled. 

“Honestly, we’re not too sure who it is but they’re from the school we went to with your father, the magic school,” Sirius said softly and Harry nodded. Sirius desperately hoped it wasn’t Snape in that moment but he would have no problem hexing him into next week if it were. 

“Go up and shower, pup,” Remus urged. 

“Yeah and when you come down, maybe I can teach you some silly words to call Remus in French,” Sirius smirked and the werewolf rolled his eyes. 

“Oh maybe I can teach you some choice words to call Sirius in Welsh. Like _drewgi _,” Remus shot back, eyes locked with Sirius who merely barked out a laugh.__

____

____

“Whoever teaches you what, just remember to wear some pajamas, alright? It’s a pajamas kind of day,” Sirius said, laughter traced in his voice as he looked to Harry who had a shy smile on his face.

“Okay,” he said quickly before bolting out of his chair. 

Once he was up the stairs, Sirius looked to Remus who knew exactly what he was thinking. “It won’t be Snape,” Remus insisted and Sirius reached for one of the iced buns with a shrug. 

“Could be, wouldn’t put it past that old git,” Sirius replied, tearing into the pastry with a dog-like sense of urgency. 

“It won’t be it. At least it won’t be him alone. Dumbledore isn’t dumb enough to forget about your mutual grudges against each other,” Remus said, crossing his arms with an eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah well, if he says anything, and I mean absolutely anything, negative to you or Harry, I will curse him to the next millennium,” Sirius said simply, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. 

“We’re not teenagers anymore, Pads. You have to at least try to be civil,” Remus frowned. Sirius thought a frown on his face made the werewolf look too old. 

“Ever the prefect, Moons. But he has to try too. You know how he is, the prick doesn’t have any kind of filter in him. And that fucking Dark shit he got up to during the war? The way he treated you? The way he treated _Lily _? I can’t let that go,” Sirius retorted and Remus rolled his eyes.__

____

____

“Lest we forget that the only reason he knows I’m a monster is because of your schoolboy bullshit,” Remus sneered and Sirius looked at him, genuine hurt in his eyes. Remus had gone a bit too far, he knew he did. But Sirius was acting like he hadn’t ever done anything wrong. 

“Remus…” Sirius started and the other man sighed deeply. 

“I’m sorry, Sirius,” Remus clicked his tongue. “I didn’t mean it like that. You aren’t the same person you were back then and I know that. I’m sorry,” Remus said with sincerity. 

Sirius crossed his arms and huffed a little. He would always forget about that incident in their fifth year, he would never forget it even if Moony hadn’t just reminded him. It led him into some of the worst months of his life, it was utter despair he never knew before. And he grew up in Grimmauld Place. 

“I’m sorry, too,” Sirius said, a little stuffy in nature. “I will apologize to you about that, you know. And you’re _not _a monster, so shut up and never say that again,” Sirius murmured and Remus sighed.__

____

____

“You don’t have to apologize,” Remus shook his head. 

“Kind of feels like it when you bring it up,” Sirius muttered and Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Well don’t, alright? It was wrong of me to bring it up.” Sirius still looked guilty. 

“You won’t stop me,” Sirius shrugged, tearing another piece off of the bun in his hand with his teeth. 

“Go shower, _drewgi _,” Remus smiled and Sirius gave him an easy smile. They were alright.__

____

____

“You know, one of these days I’m going to get in our bed as Padfoot after a rainstorm, just to see you suffer,” Sirius shot back and Remus rolled his eyes again. 

“And I’m sure you’ll enjoy the repercussions that come with that,” he snarked and Sirius stood up from his chair. He leaned over the table and gave his husband a sloppy kiss on the cheek. 

“Hmm, probably,” Sirius answered before turning to head to their bathroom. 

“You know that means changing the sheets without any magic, right?” Remus called and Sirius waved him off without looking back. 

“You wouldn’t have the faintest idea if I used magic or not, prefect,” Sirius called back from the top of the stairs and Remus just smiled with a shake of his head. They were alright, and if they weren’t, he knew they always would be in the end. Padfoot and Moony, they would always last. 

~

It was past lunchtime when their visitors arrived. Sirius felt their presence through the wards. He wondered how the hell they’d found this place at all since the wards were strong and the Black family typically never revealed the location of any of their homes, let alone some ‘rundown’ cottage in the middle-of-nowhere Dover. It was two people and Sirius let out an audible growl, already sensing the magic of one of their guests. Harry looked up at him from the children’s French dictionary with a frown. He was wearing his favorite pajama pants and an old Sex Pistols t-shirt that hung off him like all of Sirius and Remus’s clothes did. He was positively adorable, a sharp contrast to the slimeball git that was caught in a Statis ward. He almost didn’t get up to let them in but the other magic he sensed was familiar, stern, and very much welcomed. 

Sirius stood up. “Stay here, pup.” Harry stayed there. 

Sirius went to the door and Remus looked up from his book with a raise of his eyebrow. The door swung open and the two people in front of him were instantly released from the wards but that didn’t mean they could enter the house yet. “Minnie, Snivellus,” Sirius greeted, ending with a sneer to the man in front of him. 

“Honestly, Black, you need to let this petty grudge you two have go,” Minerva chastised. 

“I will when he does,” Sirius gritted and Snape glowered at him. 

“He would never be mature enough, Minerva,” Snape said coldly and the older woman rolled her eyes. 

Remus came up behind his husband and stuck his head out the door, looking pleasantly toward Minerva, a smile on his face. “Minerva! How lovely to see you,” Remus welcomed enthusiastically. 

“And what about me?” Snape grunted rather unattractively, his greasy curtain of hair hanging in front of his eyes.

“Oh sorry, didn’t see you there, Severus. I make a point not to look at vermin when I can,” Remus said kindly and Sirius snorted. 

Snape’s lip curled and he opened his mouth to retort when Minerva cut him off. “Honestly would you two just let us in?” she asked sharply and Sirius tutted. 

“Not yet, anyone could impersonate Snivellus,” Sirius answered with an eyebrow raised. 

“Oh for Merlin’s sake! Black, I was the officiant at your wedding with Lupin on the winter solstice last year,” Minerva said impatiently and Sirius grinned at her. 

“Right-o. Come in, Minnie,” Sirius said with a grin, opening the door a crack to let the old witch in. Remus followed her in. 

“Spot of tea?” Sirius heard his husband ask sweetly.

Snape tried to join her but Sirius and the wards about the house cut him off before he could even step a foot into the doorway. “You still haven’t proven yourself,” Sirius said lazily and Severus scoffed, the fury in his eyes growing. 

“Move out of the way, Black,” Snape sneered. 

“My house, my wards,” Sirius answered back, enjoying this all too much. 

“Fine,” Snape gritted out. “Fifth year, I jinxed you and Potter so you’d be conjoined together since you seemed so desperate to be up each other’s—“

“Fine,” Sirius rolled his eyes and opened the door wider so the prick could enter his house. It made him feel all nasty, letting Snape into his house willingly. “Next time, choose a funnier memory,” Sirius said in deadpan and Snape snarled at him. 

Minerva was already sitting at the kitchen table with Remus and Harry. There were two more chairs conjured up so their guests could sit comfortably and Sirius led the way over to the table. Snape made a grab for the chair Sirius usually in and Harry kicked his feet up onto it before he could even pull it out from the table. Snape looked at him in surprise. So did Remus and Sirius. 

“Harry—“ Remus started but the boy crossed his arms. 

“That’s _Padfoot’s _seat,” Harry denoted and Snape glared at him. Harry shrunk back slightly but didn’t take his feet away.__

____

____

“‘Scuse me,” Sirius said, pushing the man out of the way. “That’s my seat,” Sirius reiterated and Harry promptly moved his feet so the Animagus could sit next to him. Snape sat next to him with Minerva on his other side. 

“Raising him to be the next spawn of the devil, are you?” Snape asked icily. 

“Oi!” Remus shouted.

“Severus, please. We have a job to do,” Minerva insisted.

“We are merely here as messengers. I have no obligation—“

“Oh yes you do.”

“Honestly, he doesn’t have to stay—“

“Yes he does.”

The kettle whistled. Remus pushed away from the table harsher than normal and went to prepare tea. “Harry, tea or juice?” Remus asked sweetly. 

“Juice, please!” Harry answered. Remus smiled at him and grabbed four mugs and a cup from the cupboard, pouring the juice for Harry and tea for the adults. The table was silent while he did this with Snape and Sirius glaring at each other, Minerva pinching the bridge of her nose and Harry looking between the three adults. He really didn’t understand why they were here or who they were but he hoped he would know soon. He was wary of both strangers but he didn’t like the man, considering he tried to take Padfoot’s seat and the woman scared him a bit but she was nice to him when she came into the living room. She didn’t seem like someone to irritate though, neither did the man but Sirius didn’t seem to care about that so he didn’t know if he should either. 

Remus rejoined the table, distributing the mugs to their guests and Sirius, placing the lone cup in front of Harry who eagerly picked it up with two hands. Remus brought over some milk and sugar and put it on the table for everyone to use on their own accord. Harry looked hopefully to the sugar and then to Remus who looked back at him and shook his head. “It won’t make it better,” the werewolf whispered and Harry frowned. He looked at Sirius who smirked at him and tipped a bit of it into the juice. Remus gave him a look. 

“You make quite the housewife, Lupin,” Snape sneered. Remus raised his mug to him. 

“Couldn’t ask for a better life,” Remus smiled and Snape gave him an ill-tempered look. Minerva sighed deeply. 

“Honestly, grow up,” she gritted. “Severus, we should introduce ourselves,” she said pointedly and Snape glowered. 

“No I don’t think—“

“I’m Minerva McGonagall, Harry. I am a professor at Hogwarts, I taught all these buffoons and I will teach you when you come to Hogwarts,” Minerva interrupted and Harry nodded at her. 

“Severus Snape. I also work at Hogwarts and I will have the displeasure—“

“Honestly! Enough,” Sirius barked, drawing his wand. 

“Sirius, put it away,” Remus hissed and Harry looked confused.

“I’m Harry,” he interjected and both strangers looked at him. “Potter,” he finished, shyly. 

“Oh he knows his name,” Snape said loftily. Harry glared at him. 

“You’re not very nice,” he commented. Minerva stifled a laugh. 

“Good character read, pup,” Sirius smiled and Harry beamed at him. 

“Now, now. I think it’s best if we hear the whole story from you two,” McGonagall said, looking between Harry’s two gaurdians. “What happened at Privet Drive?” she asked and Harry shrunk down in his seat, holding his cup close. Sirius gave him a kind smile. 

“It’s alright, pup. They’re not taking you back,” Sirius said gently but Harry still looked a little alarmed. 

“Oh no, you most certainly will not be returning to those Muggles,” McGonagall clarified, a determined look on her face and Harry seemed a bit more satisfied. 

“I think it’s best if Sirius were to tell the story, he was the one there,” Remus said, gesturing to his husband who nodded and launched into the story. 

Harry didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to be reminded, he didn't want to think about his relatives in the least bit so he tried tuning out most of the story but he caught glimpses of it and little comments from the two strangers in their house. 

“That’s despicable!”

“A cupboard!?” 

“How dare they!”

Every comment came from the older woman who looked aghast at hearing the treatment Harry received from his Aunt and Uncle. Snape just sat there with a stony look on his face. Harry kept drinking his overly sweet juice, it was doing that thing where it kept refilling itself until he was satisfied like it did with the soup broth. He wasn’t satisfied until the recounting of his rescue was over. 

“He kicked his Uncle?” Minerva asked, a smile trying to make its way onto her face though she tried to keep it at bay. 

“And told him to ‘sod off’.” Sirius grinned and Harry felt his cheeks tinge pink. 

“How very much like his father,” Snape finally said with a sneer. 

“No, I think that was definitely more Lily. She hated her sister’s husband,” Remus said easily, taking a sip of his teat. Snape looked sour. 

“Well, I’m very happy to hear he is loved and cared for here. No child deserves that treatment and from his mother’s sister no less!” Minerva said indignantly.

“Yeah! I love it here! Moony cuts my sandwiches into triangles and Padfoot colors with me! And they said they were going to teach me French _and _Welsh!” Harry blurted, fully addressing McGonagall with a voice full of excitement.__

____

____

“Did they now?” she asked, fascination filling her voice to feed into the boy's excitement. Harry nodded and the two husbands looked at him with complete adoration. Harry was _bragging _about them, it was a high honor that they were proud the boy was giving them.__

____

____

“So what did Albus send you for?” Remus asked good-naturedly. “Surely not just for some tea and to hear how Harry kicked his uncle,” Remus concluded and Minerva nodded, getting down to business. 

“First and foremost, the Dursley’s have been arrested for neglect and abuse. There will be a trial but it’s looking as though Vernon will serve ten years, Petunia seven years but could be five with good behavior. Their son will be placed with Aunt Marge until she is released,” McGonagall and Harry shuddered in his seat. Aunt Marge might’ve been worse than his uncle. 

“What is it, pup?” Sirius asked, pulling his eyebrows together. Harry looked up to him and then to Minerva who had a face full of concern and then to Snape who had his arms crossed but at least he wasn’t glaring anymore. Harry bit his lip and looked back at Sirius and then to Remus who was also watching at him. 

“Aunt Marge owns dogs. She let them chase me and she burned me on purpose some times, with her cigarettes,” Harry said bleakly, pulling back the sleeve to his shirt to reveal his shoulder that had burn scars littered on smooth skin. Sirius frowned, Remus looked absolutely hateful. 

“Well,” McGonagall sniffed. “Thankfully we’ve kept you out of that environment but your cousin—“

“She loved Dudley,” he cut in, his voice devoid of feeling. “Encouraged him to go ‘Harry Hunting’, said it was good practice,” he recounted and Snape’s lip curled. Sirius caught him and was a little shocked. Why would Snape ever care? He knew he had a friendship with Lily but surely he wouldn’t care.

“Perhaps it's best if we investigated her as well,” Snape proposed and Harry shook his head. 

“No, she loves Dudley. Basically pays him to love her back,” Harry drawled and Snape’s face hardened again. 

“Yes well, as awful as that is, there are other matters to discuss,” McGonagall reminded, but not dismissing the boy. As long as Harry was safe and he wasn’t being harmed, everything was fine. They decided to take his word on Aunt Marge’s treatment of his cousin. 

“Right,” Sirius conferred. 

“I offer my services during the full moons. Any time you wish, I will ask no questions if you choose to decline. I trust you have precautions in place to ensure Harry’s safety but still, my offer will stand for whenever you need,” she said and that took both Sirius and Remus by surprise. 

“Even during—“

“Yes during the school year,” she insisted, already knowing their question.

“Oh wow,” Sirius said. “Well, thank you, Minnie,” he said, still taken aback. Remus nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah, seriously thank you,” Remus supplied and McGonagall nodded. That meant that Sirius could be Padfoot with Remus during his transformations, or he could even be Sirius still with the Wolfsbane. That could be really helpful sometimes, it would be nice for Remus to have someone with him and Harry could be with someone who’d be able to devote attention to him without Sirius being occupied with thinking about Moony. And maybe that’d even stop the boy from worrying so much as well.

“The moon is a week away,” Snape said with an eyebrow raised, disgust filling his voice. 

“Obviously we know that,” Sirius spat. 

“I offer my services in creating Wolfsbane. I will even give you direction in how to brew it and ingredients from the stores at Hogwarts will be provided,” Snape said, his voice not masking any disdain he felt for Remus’s affliction. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look, silently arguing with each other. To be fair, it appears that they’re each having their own internal argument and they're acting like they're arguing with each other but they’re really on the same page. 

“Would you two like a moment?” McGonagall asked impatiently, sensing their mixed feelings about that particular offer. 

“A lover’s quarrel, if you will,” Snape supplied with a sneer. Sirius glared at him but Remus inclined his head to McGonagall. 

“Thank you, Minerva,” the werewolf said, pushing his chair back from the table. 

“Harry, do you want to go build with your let’s go’s?” Sirius asked and Remus snorted. 

“Legos, babe,” Remus corrected. 

“Ah, yes, those,” Sirius agreed and Harry shook his while crossing his arms. He was staring between the two strangers. 

“No thank you,” he stated firmly and Sirius shrugged while standing from his own chair. 

“Well alright then,” the Animagus said before addressing McGonagall and Snape. “Be careful, he bites, very vicious,” Sirius staged whispered to their guests and Harry giggled. Minerva looked at him with amusement, Severus glared. 

“No I don't!” Harry protested giddily and Sirius smirked at him. 

“Oh I think you do. Very biting sarcasm and ferocious demeanor. If they’re not careful you might just stare at them to death,” Sirius smiled and Harry giggled again, looking up at his godfather. 

“We’ll be back in a mo’, pup,” Remus stated, patting the boy’s shoulder as he and Sirius made their way to the back entrance of their house. Harry didn’t flinch. Remus thought it was a very strange group of people they’ve left in the kitchen but hopefully Minerva would keep Severus in check.

“What do we do?” Remus asked once the door had shut behind them. 

“I don’t trust Snivellus,” Sirius said bluntly. “Or Dumbledore.”

“Nor I,” Remus agreed. “But I trust McGonagall,” he pointed out and Sirius huffed. 

“And if Snape is true to his word, we wouldn’t have to worry about continuously ordering the Wolfsbane and it would be only one or two times he’d have to show me. Plus I could get a few of my own books to read up on it to make sure he isn’t doing anything devious,” Sirius thought out loud. Realistically, they’re would be no reason for Snape, or Dumbledore, to hurt either of them. They had Harry and Harry was happy. And Harry would grow resentful to Dumbledore if the geezer tried to take away his source of happiness and family. But they could never be too careful. 

“I don’t like the idea of this charity with the ingredients,” Remus sniffed and Sirius nodded. 

“Plus if we say no to Snivellus, we say no to Minnie,” Sirius pointed out and Remus nodded. “We could demand we pay for the ingredients we can’t get easily. They might say it’s stupid but I don’t care.”

“No, no. I’m with you, it’s a pride thing,” Remus agreed, his face showing a mix between annoyed and contemplative. 

“I don’t like it too much, though. This means we have to have more communication with Dumbledore,” Sirius growled and Remus sighed. 

“Yes but we can write in our letter back our own terms. Harry is still ours, he is still under our care and Dumbledore will not interfere with any of decisions regarding him but he can be allowed these check-ins and have somewhat of an eye on Harry,” Remus countered and Sirius’s face scrunched up. 

“We also don’t have to decide now. We can talk about it more,” Remus continued and Sirius nodded. 

“You’re right,” Sirius agreed and the werewolf nodded. 

“Let’s go back before Snape does anything stupid,” Remus growled. 

When they reentered the house, they heard Harry in conversation with their two guests. “This one is Hector and this one is Yaple. They aren’t done yet. And Moony is starting a garden outside, he even bought books on it and said I could help him with it when it gets less hot out!” Harry’s voice rang through. 

“Well maybe you could grow some of your bushes to be like Hector and Yaple,” McGonagall answered and the two husbands grinned at each other. Rarely did they hear their strict head of house talk in such a way. 

“Yeah maybe but I don’t know if they’d be friends in real life,” Harry answered, a frown in his voice. 

“They’re bushes,” Snape drawled, obviously bored. 

“They have feelings!” Harry cried indignantly, his face expressing such passionate emotions. 

“That they do, Prongslet. Snape wouldn’t know better though, he has none of his own,” Sirius grinned as he sat back down in his chair. 

“Well?” McGonagall asked, a faint smile on her face still and Sirius looked to Remus who sighed. 

“We still need time to think about it,” he said flatly and Minerva nodded. 

“I understand. You still have the owl Albus sent so I expect he can hear your answer directly from the source rather than either of us,” she said easily and Sirius nodded. 

“Right, well we haven’t had any lunch yet,” Remus said, still standing and Minerva nodded, moving to get up to leave but Remus waved her down. 

“Please, Minnie! Join us for lunch! It’ll be good for Harry to get to know you before heading off to Hogwarts and for possible full moons!” Sirius demanded and Minerva smiled kindly. 

“Well, if you insist,” she said easily and Sirius turned to Snape. 

“You can leave if you’d like,” he said with conviction and Snape looked at him with absolute loathing. 

“Now, Sirius, let’s be kind hosts,” Remus chastised and his husband looked at him incredulously. “I’m sure we have something doxies eat around here,” Remus followed it up with and Sirius snorted loudly. McGonagall looked absolutely over the whole thing but kept her mouth shut. 

Snape sneered at Remus but the werewolf rolled his eyes before the man said anything at all. “You’re one to talk, werewolf. Got any raw meat around? Something to satisfy that animalistic, disgusting hunger—“

“You shut your mouth right now,” Sirius said lowly, his entire appearance and demeanor becoming much more haughty. Sirius’s magic was palpable. 

“I think I’ll stay for lunch,” Snape said smugly, knowing how it would upset Black; and Sirius looked incredulous. 

“You can only stay if you're nice!” Harry exclaimed suddenly after observing the whole exchange. “You can’t be mean to Padfoot or Moony! And Moony’s furry little problem is none of your bloody business!” Harry shouted and his godparents looked at him in shock. So did McGonagall and Snape. 

“Harry, language,” Remus choked out, the first to break the silence. Harry had the grace to look shy but he didn’t apologize. No one insults his Moony or his Padfoot. 

“Well, I think Harry has his head on right, Severus. We are guests, please control your tongue and in turn, you are hosts Sirius, Remus. Please show the grace demanded of the role,” McGonagall said tightly with a fond smile towards Harry. The boy smiled back at her and shrunk back down into his seat. 

“If this is the insolence these two—“

“Come now, really Severus?” McGonagall demanded impatiently. 

“One more word—“

“Sirius!” Remus exclaimed. Honestly, this whole thing could have been going a lot worse but trying to keep this situation from escalating was a tall order. 

Sirius and Snape settled for glaring at each other, neither breaking eye contact the entire time. McGonagall and Remus figured it would be the best that could come from the two of them and Harry was kicking his feet in his seat. Remus started working on lunch. 

“Harry would you like to help me?” the werewolf asked and the boy nodded eagerly. Remus gave him a kind smile on picked him up from his chair so he could sit on the counter next to where Remus prepared their sandwiches. 

“What would everyone like?” Remus asked the room. 

“Just tomato, garlic, olive oil, and salt for me,” McGonagall answered, figuring she’d be the best one suited to break the silence at the table. 

“Toasted bread?” Remus asked. 

“Please!”

“Cucumber and cream cheese,” Snape drawled and Sirius snorted loudly. 

“Really, Snivellus?” Sirius asked and Snape glared at him. 

“Sweetheart, play nice. What do you want?” Remus chastised and Sirius sighed. 

“Bacon sandwich, babe,” Sirius called back and Remus smiled. 

“And you, Harry?” Remus asked in a much softer tone. 

“Cheese,” Harry said shyly and Remus gave him a look. Harry didn’t want Remus to have to make so much food, he was already making a lot. Plus he wasn’t even sure how much food they actually had in the house so he figured better not eat all of it for lunch, right?”

“Pup,” Remus said in deadpan, knowing there’s more than cheese the kid would want. “You don’t have to eat just a cheese sandwich because we have guests over, what kind of sandwich do you want? It can be as extravagant as you’d like.”

Harry bit his lip and shifted a bit. “Um, can I have… turkey and lettuce and tomato?” he asked, not meeting Remus’s eye. 

“Of course you can. Now would you like to actually help me this time? You never have to cook here if you don’t want to but just in case it’ll make you feel better,” Remus offered and Harry nodded fervently. Remus patted his head with a smile. “Alright, why don’t you spread some cream cheese on this bread for Professor Snape,” Remus offered and Harry nodded firmly, settling onto the counter so his legs didn’t hang off anymore. He grabbed a spoon from Remus’s hand and dug into the tub to meticulously start spreading the cheese onto the bread. 

Remus set to the rest of the group's meal. He charmed a knife to cut the vegetables and tomatoes needed, placed Minerva’s bread in the toaster, and worked on Sirius’s bacon in a pan. McGonagall attempted conversation with the two oafs at the table. 

“He’s a very charming boy, the spitting image of James. Except his eyes,” Minerva started and Sirius nodded. 

“He’s Lily’s eyes. That brilliant summer green, makes me miss both of them too much sometimes,” Sirius admitted, his arms crossed and Minerva gave him a sorrow-filled look. 

“They’d be happy knowing he’s loved here,” Minnie consoled and Sirius gave her a tight-lipped smile. 

“I hope so. It was too long that he spent there with those Muggles,” Sirius huffed.

“If you hadn’t wound up in Azkaban, it would’ve been different maybe,” Snape drawled and Sirius glared at him. Snape wasn’t glaring but he wasn’t particularly happy looking either. 

“Pettigrew was the rat, I will admit it was a mistake going after him. We all underestimated him,” Sirius spat. 

“I will say Albus had the right intentions sending the boy to his relatives but honestly, I’d watched them all day the day before and they were the worst sort I’d ever seen. And all this with Harry, absolutely abhorrent,” Minerva said, her face paling even at the thought of what they did to Harry. 

“Albus didn’t know that Lily hated her sister, or better yet her sister hated her. Petunia was always jealous of Lily,” Snape revealed and Sirius did a double-take on Severus. He had an inkling of Lily and Snape’s past friendship but he didn’t know it extended all the way to childhood. 

“Yeah,” Sirius said carefully. “There were also blood wards he was counting on at the house, Lily tied her sacrifice to her love so that meant it was tied to her sister. When I got there, they were there but they were weak,” Sirius explained, still eyeing Snape who had an unreadable expression on his face. 

“Well you have a much better-warded house here,” Minerva insisted and Sirius nodded.

“I took a blood oath before Albus agreed to let me go check on Harry. I knew something wasn’t right and if Harry was safest with blood wards, I decided I would take an oath myself. He is the heir to the Black family now, he’s as good as my son in the Wizarding World. His name will probably be on the tapestry at Grimmauld Place, too,” Sirius explained, a small smile on his face knowing how enraged his mother would be at the sight of a werewolf half-blood being married to the current Head and a half-blood being the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. 

“Well, Black, it seems that you and Lupin care for Mr. Potter greatly. I’m sure James and Lily’s memory will live on through him with you two raising him,” Minerva said kindly and Sirius nodded, feeling his eye sting a bit. He wouldn’t cry now, he can’t. Minnie was right, Harry was safe and loved. That’s what his two best friends would have wanted. 

“That reminds me, how did you even find us here?” Sirius asked, an eyebrow raised. He would have to make modifications to their wards depending on the answer. 

“You know Albus has his ways,” McGonagall sniffed and Sirius made a mental note to ask the old geezer. “Will I be seeing Harry in a week’s time for the moon?” Minerva asked and Sirius shook his head. 

“No, we have Wolfsbane here right now. We ordered it from a potioneer in France so Harry will stay here this time. He isn’t keen on the idea of letting Remus wallow around locked in the attic all night but I think if we try to move him he’ll throw a fit or start panicking,” Sirius said and Minerva nodded curtly. 

“I understand. He seems very protective over you two,” she noted and Sirius sighed. 

“Yeah. He’s a good kid, very shy and quite scared but I suppose that comes with the territory. We’ve made a lot of progress though in just 8 days,” Sirius mentioned and Minerva smiled at him. 

“Lunch!” Remus called only seconds later, Harry carrying two plates and Remus hovering three others behind him, carrying a jug of water and some cups. 

Harry handed McGonagall her plate and she smiled at him kindly. His cheeks grew red. He then went over to Snape and put his plate on the table and walked away before the man could say anything to him. Remus set down the water jug and cups—which Sirius automatically began pouring out to give to their guests—and grabbed the plates behind him, serving Harry and Sirius first. Remus sat down as Sirius finished pouring the water out, pushing the jug and the last cup to Snape who’s lip curled but his mouth was kept shut. 

Once settled, they all began eating the sandwiches Harry and Remus prepared and were commended for their skills by McGonagall. “Thank you, Mr. Lupin,” she said and Remus nodded. 

“I did the salt!” Harry said happily, proud of his contribution. 

“Thank you, Harry. Just the right amount,” she said courteously. 

They ate without talking and Harry looked much happier with his preferred sandwich rather than just a cheese one. When Remus and Harry had finished, the werewolf leaned over and whispered something into Harry’s ear causing the boy to push away from the table and hurry into the kitchen. Sirius raised an eyebrow to Remus who shrugged with a lopsided grin in reply. Harry came back carrying the box from the bakery this morning and Sirius grinned at his husband. 

“Sirius was kind enough to go with Harry to pick up this treat this morning from the bakery in the village. I figured why not have a nice after lunch treat. You’re not obligated to have any, of course,” Remus said, taking the box from Harry and showing their visitors the torte inside. 

“Oh that looks lovely, Remus. Thank you,” McGonagall said cheerfully. She knew Remus had a thing for chocolate ever since his days at Hogwarts and that he wasn’t always too keen on sharing it. 

Once their plates were cleared of remains of lunch with a quick spell, Remus began cutting into the torte. He passed a piece to Minerva, then to Harry, to Sirius, and he looked up to Snape who was glaring at Remus. “I’ll pass,” he said coldly and Remus shrugged. 

“Doesn’t bother me,” he murmured and doled out a piece to himself. 

“We have iced buns,” Harry said with his face scrunched up and his arms crossed. Snape looked at Harry with mild shock. Sirius did too. Harry was being kind while still being a little rude, he was a bit proud of his pup at that point. It was good to know he was distrustful of Snape. 

“No thank you,” Snape said slowly, his voice passive. 

“Doesn’t have taste, I s’ppose,” Harry whispered loudly, leaning over to Sirius who snorted, covering his mouth to keep dessert from going everywhere. 

Sirius swallowed and started laughing uncontrollably and Remus just shook his head with a fond smile. Snape looked annoyed. He wasn’t any good with the children at Hogwarts, how was he supposed to be okay with the spawn of James Potter? Minerva merely continued to eat her slice of torte, trying to keep the amused look off her face. 

~

“Well thank you for a lovely visit,” Sirius said gracefully once their meal was completed and the two Hogwarts professors were standing at their front doorway once again. 

“Yes, please come again Minerva. It’s always lovely seeing you,” Remus said kindly. 

“Of course, it was good seeing you two boys again. And it was good seeing young Mr. Potter so happy,” she said kindly, smiling down at the boy who had a bit of chocolate smeared on his face but a wide grin. 

“Yes well I’m sure Harry will be happy to see Aunt Minnie again soon, right pup?” Sirius asked with a devious smirk and Minerva rolled his eyes but Harry nodded eagerly. 

“Yeah!” he supplied and Sirius beamed at him before looking to Snape.

“Next time you want to come to my house, you’ll send a letter or I’ll curse you till your ears bleed,” Sirius said sweetly and Remus face palmed while Snape snarled at him. 

“There won’t be a next ti—“

“Severus, let’s go,” Minerva snapped before giving Sirius one of her more dirty glares. Black merely shrugged in reply as they turned around and walked out of the front door so they could Apparate outside the wards of the Cottage. Sirius shut the door and turned to his family to see Remus holding Harry. The boy was absolutely exhausted, his eyes were droopy and his head was resting on the werewolf’s shoulder. 

“Tired, pup?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded. “Good thing you’re in PJs, want to take a nap?” Harry only nodded again. 

“I think I could use one too, honestly. Keeping you from hexing Snape was a chore,” Remus yawned and Sirius raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s insufferable,” Sirius said, waving his arms around in the air. 

“I never said he wasn’t, love. Come take a nap with us,” Remus said, holding out his hand and Sirius smiled while taking it. 

Remus laid on the couch and kept Harry on top of his chest. Sirius tried to join them but the sofa was only so big so he transformed into Padfoot instead, curling up next to his husband and godson. Padfoot took a deep sigh and Remus murmured a quick ‘I love you’ and Harry was already asleep. They had a letter to write and a few things to figure out before but right now they could lay on the couch together and take a nap in contentment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> typos!!!!! ignore them!!!! or dont and tell me and then i will be sad but i will fix them. (it is 2:30 am, i have a meeting at 10:30, i am Tired.)
> 
> drewgi — stinky dog (indirect translation is skunk but stinky dog is better for this story)  
> malodorant — smelly  
> cerf puant — stinky deer
> 
> thanks for reading!!! :D


	6. The Full and All It’s Glory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things start to get interesting here but it’s a bit later in the chapter. the first half is mostly full moon things and how all three of our lovelies deal with the newest addition to their family experiencing it for the first time. and then enter.... a wrench in their lives! who is it? what will happen? i don’t know! 
> 
> enjoy!!
> 
> edit: so i am a fool and didn't realize that italics doesn't automatically paste from google docs (don't yell at me, i don't code) so now i have to go back and edit all the other chapters i am so sorry for my dumbness, i expect some of it was hard to read like letters and things. anyway. this one is edited

The day of the full moon, everyone at the Black Cottage was a bit of a mess. Remus’s bones and joints were acting to the point where we resigned himself to stay in bed all day until he was to go to the heavily warded attic, Sirius was being a mother hen and making sure his husband had everything he needed. “Tea, love?” “Chocolate?” “Want a massage?” “Can I run you a bath?” Remus loved how doting his husband could be but really he just wanted everything to calm down. His head was throbbing, his stomach was twisting itself in knots with threats of sicking up, he was fighting every urge not to snap at Sirius, and he was getting increasingly hornier. That always happened with the moon being so near, every feeling he had was magnified to 10 and he hated it. Anger, lust, sadness, libido, and on the rare occurrence that anything could distract him enough from the thought of becoming the monster within: happiness. There was not much happiness this time around despite Sirius’s efforts and Harry being there.

“Cut it out,” Remus snapped in the afternoon when Sirius had taken to ruffling the covers of the bed for what seemed like the thirtieth time that day. It took all of Remus’s willpower not to snap at Harry as well but the boy wasn’t really testing his patience as much as his husband. Sirius could take Remus’s growls and his shrewd nature. He knew what it was and he knew when to back down. Harry didn’t know what was happening to Moony, he didn’t understand. It was his first time seeing Remus in this state and he was a jumble of worry over the whole thing. He was upset that Moony was hurting and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

Harry was determined not to leave his godfathers’ bedroom the entire day. Any time Sirius asked if Harry wanted to go color he fiercely shook his head. Remus was a little grateful for the kid, in all honesty. When Remus felt his senses go into overdrive, Harry would cuddle closer to him and it would calm his flaring nerves a bit. Remus would ask Harry to move away when he couldn’t stand the thought of being touched and the boy did as he was asked immediately. He was a very good listener. 

They ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the bedroom with Remus only pushing parts of his potatoes around his plate and eating a bit of the chicken that Sirius had prepared that night. Neither of his boys said anything, Harry didn’t know what to expect and Sirius knew better than to tell Remus to eat more than he could at that point. He was grateful that his lover and his godson were there with him to help him through the day but he was still terrified of what was to come during the night. He had taken the Wolfsbane every day so logically he should retain his mind during the transformation but Remus was always wary. Rarely did anything ever go right for him, at least all the time. 

“It’s almost dusk,” Remus said, gritting his teeth after Sirius had come back upstairs from washing their dinner dishes. “I need to get upstairs.”

“Alright, love,” Sirius resigned, coming to the side of the bed to help Remus up. 

“Moony,” Harry whined and the werewolf gave him a sad smile. 

“It’ll be alright, pup. Just stay with Sirius until it’s bedtime,” Remus instructed but Harry didn’t look relieved. 

“I’ll miss you, Moony. Please be okay,” Harry begged quietly. 

“I’ll miss you too pup. But it’s only for one night. I’ll be okay, I took my potion and I have a comfy bed up there. Everything will be alright,” Remus reassured. 

Harry trailed behind his godfathers as they made their way up the stairs to the attic. Harry whimpered as he watched Sirius helped Remus up the last step and started crying when Remus shut the door behind him. The door’s many locks clicked in quick succession and Sirius went to Harry, picking him up. 

“It’s alright Harry,” Sirius cooed but the boy’s tears didn’t let up.

“I’m scared for Moony,” he admitted as Sirius began rubbing his back. 

“I know, pup. It’s scary to know the ones we love are hurting but Remus is strong. Our Moony is tough as nails, he’s done this so many times before,” Sirius said gently. 

“He shouldn’t have to!” Harry wailed and Sirius shushed him, his gaze looking out the window as the sun started to set below the horizon. “He’s nice! He cuts my sandwiches and he reads to me! And he even taught me what _drewgi _means!” Harry cried and Sirius smiled a bit.__

____

____

“He’s a good person, Moony. He definitely doesn’t deserve this but we love him and we know he’ll be okay. It’s scary, though. I know it is. My first few moons with Remus when we were twelve were terrifying but he’s got his potion now so it makes it better for him,” Sirius rambled and Harry sniffled. Sirius understood the boy’s predicament perfectly. If anyone deserved lycanthropy, it certainly wasn’t Remus Lupin. 

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Harry asked and Sirius pet his hair a bit. 

“Of course you can, pup. We’re a family, we all need each other,” Sirius said gently. 

They spent the rest of their night downstairs trying to focus on anything that wasn’t Remus upstairs in the attic. They colored together for a bit but neither of them were focusing on their works. When the first sign of Remus’s transformation came in the form of screaming and shouting that came from the attic, Harry started crying again. Sirius moved to him and held him tightly, wishing his husband’s pain away and crying with Harry. It wasn’t clear how long it’d last but eventually the sounds died down but Harry was still shaking. Then came the instinctive howl, a noise Sirius knew like the back of his hand and one that made Harry cry even harder than before. They didn’t try coloring again. 

When it was already past Harry’s bedtime, Sirius carried the boy upstairs and into their bedroom which smelt of Remus still. Sirius brought Harry some pajamas and the boy changed quickly. He curled up under the covers and Sirius got in next to him, holding him close with Harry’s head on his chest. Harry was crying yet again and Sirius was very upset too. There were no noises coming from the attic which was a good sign for Sirius but it terrified Harry because why couldn’t he hear Moony? Was he okay? Was he really hurt? What was happening?

“Try to sleep, pup,” Sirius whispered and Harry shook his head defiantly. Sirius sighed. The boy was inconsolable tonight and he would probably have a nightmare anyway. They’d been happening more frequently over the last week and Sirius was incredibly understanding but it broke his heart every time the boy started screaming in his sleep. 

“Too sad,” he murmured and Sirius smiled softly, carding his hand through the boy’s chaotic hair. 

“Me too,” Sirius whispered. 

They were quiet for a while, probably over an hour but Sirius couldn’t be sure and Harry was growing more restless because Remus still hadn’t made any noise. He didn’t know what was happening to one of his favorite people in the world. He sat up abruptly and Sirius frowned at him, he’d thought the kid would’ve been closer to falling asleep but he seemed as awake as ever. 

“What’s wrong pup?”

“Moony isn’t making any noise,” he said, his breathing a little faster than usual. 

“He’s okay, Harry,” Sirius soothed but Harry shook his head. Sirius was getting nervous too now. He always worried about Moony on full moon nights, even when he was in Azkaban. 

“Sirius,” Harry said and the man knew his godson was terrified. He didn’t call him Sirius at all unless it’s absolutely urgent. It was always Padfoot. 

“Harry,” Sirius said, matching his tone. “Remus is okay.”

“I want to see him! I miss him! I’m scared,” Harry cried and Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“We can’t see him right now, he won’t let us in,” Sirius explained softly and Harry shook his head, his little body shaking. 

There was a scuffle from above him and a little whine. Harry looked up with a snap of his head. “Moony,” he said and Sirius looked up as well. Before he could understand what was happening, Harry was howling. Actually howling, as a wolf would.

“Harry,” Sirius said frantically, reaching for his godson but he didn’t let up. He was howling up at the ceiling. 

He continued for a good thirty seconds before dying down and Sirius didn’t know what to say. “Harry, please. He’s okay,” Sirius said wearily. 

A few more seconds and there was a return howl coming from above. It was Moony’s howl. Despite the fact that there would be no other plausible explanation for there to howling coming from the attic above, Sirius would know it from anywhere—Wolfsbane or not. The sound felt more human now, it felt intentional like Remus was letting Harry know that he was there and that he was okay. Harry deflated a bit, his small body sagging on the bed and Sirius knew that he would probably be able to sleep now. At least he hoped. 

“He’s alright, pup,” Sirius soothed and Harry nodded, lying back into the position he had been in early. “You can sleep, pup. Moony will be with us tomorrow,” the man said gently once Harry’s head was resting comfortably on his chest and his hand had returned to jet black hair. 

“Okay,” Harry yawned. Sirius couldn’t help but wonder what a gift it was to care for the boy. He was sweet and kind and fiercely loyal. He was so like James but also so like Lily, it was truly a marvel. 

Harry fell asleep soon after hearing Remus’s return call and Sirius thought maybe he could get some sleep himself. “Love you, pup,” the man murmured, pressing a hiss to the top of Harry’s head. “Love you, Moonbeam,” he said a little louder to the ceiling. As he drifted off to sleep he swore he heard a soft whine from above. 

“ _I love you too, Pads _.”__

____

____

~

Remus’s transformations were never not painful. Wolfsbane made them bearable because he knew he’d still retain his own wits and he could curl up harmless and wait it out. But this transformation, the first one with little Harry around, was almost unbearable even with the potion coursing through his body. Because of his enhanced senses, he could hear everything in the house from the pipes in their bathrooms to the seemingly silent hum of their refrigerator to Harry’s whimpers while Sirius tried to console him. He hated himself more than ever that night. Being a werewolf is something he had accepted about himself a long time ago, it was unavoidable once he’d been bitten and clashing with that part of his mind was useless. Being a werewolf was one thing. Being one and having a child that he loved and cared about in his home, wishing he were okay was something entirely different. Harry didn’t deserve to have to worry about Remus throughout the night, he deserved a stable home where one of his guardians didn’t turn into a monster once a month. 

Remus also knew that if he said any of this out loud—which he wouldn’t because Sirius could read him like a book anyway—it’d only upset his boys. It just fucking hurt knowing Harry was worried about him and was scared, it made him ache all over because all he ever wanted was to make his godson and his husband happy. 

When he couldn’t help the screams that ripped through his throat as his muscles tore and rewove themselves and his bone were breaking and reshaping, he wished that he could control himself better. Harry was frantic and he could practically smell his fear and the nervousness on Sirius. He contained himself finally after he couldn’t help the howl that forced itself out of his throat and was left with his own thoughts though the wolf inside his head was pounding against his skull. Every so often his thoughts would reduce down into something more primal but they were never the classic tear, bite, slash, kill which was a good sign. 

So he laid there and laid there wishing for it to end sooner and sooner. He wasn’t aware of the time but he knew he’d wake up as a man the next morning once the moon began to wane. He knew Sirius had taken Harry upstairs into their room, he should hear it and smell it as they drew closer to him, separated only by some sheetrock. He begged for Harry to fall asleep easily and that Sirius would find comfort in the boy enough to sleep himself but he knew they were still awake. 

Harry was crying again, begging to see him to know he was okay and Remus ached inside his broken body. Remus whined, his voice coming out in a high pitch and the sound quelling what was down below him if only for a moment. And then there was howling. Remus resisted the urge to howl back immediately, he was flooded with all sorts of emotions at that minute. He longed to be with his pack, he was touched that Harry was trying to connect with him, he was fighting against the monster inside him. But the Wolfsbane did its job and Remus could feel the gratitude fill his body as he howled back to the boy, long and low. 

Harry’s call seemed to have soothed all three of them. Harry knew Remus was okay, he was alive enough and he was there. Remus felt better knowing Harry was calmed by his howl back and was very content and felt almost equalized by the boy’s will to get through to him despite his state. Harry cared about him and wanted to know he was okay and that wasn’t a bad thing. Sirius’s magic was evening out as well as Harry began to fall asleep. 

“I love you, Moonbeam.”

Remus whined again, trying to express his love and affection for the man below the floor. “ _I love you too, Padfoot _.” Remus knew he understood the sentiment. He was able to spend the rest of his transformation lying in the bed, no longer fearful and upset at his own state but almost happy knowing he had people who genuinely cared about him. Of course, Sirius always cared but now he had Harry too and while it terrified him to no end to think of the hurt and injury that could come to the boy if something went wrong, he still knew that Harry wouldn’t ever give up on him. And he would never give up on Harry either.__

____

____

The moon waned some hours later and Remus’s mind and body finally fell asleep. He would hurt for the next days that came after, he always did but he had his people. He never liked relying on others to help him, always thought of himself as a burden but Sirius and James were there during their school years and now he had Harry with him, despite James’s absence. Both times, they all made it known that it wasn’t pity nor was it a chore. They would be there for him, plain and simply, because they loved him. 

~

Sirius woke up slowly that morning. He didn’t dream which was a nice change and neither did Harry which was also a welcomed deviation from the norm. The kid was still asleep, curled up into his godfather’s chest and Sirius wanted to let him sleep for as long as possible. He had a long night and he was bound to be drowsy if he woke up at his normal time so Sirius carefully extracted the boy from his chest and luckily he didn’t stir in the slightest. Sirius stood and stretched before walking up the stairs to the attic. Remus would be asleep and he would be in pain. 

He unlocked the door with a flick of his wand and entered the attic space to find his husband asleep in the large bed. Sirius insisted on getting something comfortable for him, if he were to spend a long night up there once a month, he deserved to be comfortable. Sirius let out a long breath at the sight of his husband, it was also a pleasant surprise to see the man not covered in bloody wounds that were self-inflicted, unlike all those years they spent together at Hogwarts. 

Sirius lent down and picked Remus up into a bridal hold. His head lolled a bit but he, like Harry, didn’t stir. Sirius carried him down the steps from the attic and into their room where Harry was still asleep, curled up into a ball, and some drool on his chin. He set Remus down next to the boy and smiled. He would wait for Harry to wake before making breakfast but he still went downstairs for his morning cup of tea. 

What he didn’t expect was to see an owl sitting on the perch in the living room right next to the owl Dumbledore had sent. They hadn’t replied to him yet, they wanted him to wait, they wanted to reject his ‘olive branch’ but they both agreed that some of what the man had offered held weight.

Sirius went to the owl, expecting another letter from Dumbledore pestering them about a reply or something of that sort. What he didn’t expect to see was the familiar, flowy, _downright annoying _, cursive handwriting that could only belong to one person. He never expected to hear from her, not now and not ever until they absolutely had to. Sirius glanced at the rings on his fingers. One of them was the ring that betrothed him to Remus despite already having been mated by the werewolf years beforehand at Hogwarts, before everything got messy and he was branded as a traitor. The ring was simple, dark onyx cut with sapphires embedded all around it; an inscription underneath it read ‘ _lune _’ and ‘ _sêr _’, the French word for moon and the Welsh word for stars. Remus had a similar ring adorning his finger, though the band was made of brown tungsten with emeralds embedded. The inscription held the same on the inner side of his.______

_____ _

_____ _

Sirius’s eyes glanced to the second ring on his hand, the one that adorned his middle finger, the one Arcturus had bequeathed to him in his final moments before death. The one he still startled at seeing when his eyes caught it. It had happened just after Sirius had been exonerated and was released from Azkaban. 

~

He didn’t know why he’d shown up to Black Manor, not a week after his release but he did and the ancient, familial wards washed over him. He had entered the house and was led to a bedridden Arcturus. The old man had smiled, a particularly rueful, cruel, pride smile that made Sirius’s insides squirm around and his heart warm; it had been a conflicting feeling to see his grandfather smile at him. Sirius had cast a silent _Muffliato _, knowing his grandfather was keen on privacy, on the room before taking one step further into the room.__

____

____

“I knew you’d come back,” Arcturus had rasped. “Once a Black, always a Black,” he’d sneered with a benevolent grin. 

“I don’t know why I’m here, to be honest, Grandfather,” Sirius had frowned and Arcturus had raised an eyebrow though even that simple movement seemed to have pained him. 

“It’s a funny thing, family magic,” Arcturus had reminisced. “Perhaps you knew me to be dying, right at this very moment. Perhaps you knew that there’d be no other Black strong enough to take my mantle after I passed, and I surely wouldn’t want it to end up with that Malfoy boy,” Arcturus had a particular venom dripping from his voice at that. 

“My mother could’ve—“

“That vile woman would never take up the title of Lady Black so long as I am still Lord Black of sound mind and sound body. When you had been declared innocent, I knew who the title of Family Head rightfully belonged to,” Arcturus had that grin stretched across his weathered face again. Sirius had raised an eyebrow, not too sure he had fully understood his grandfather. 

Logically, he knew he had but it seemed absurd. The disowned, runaway son to be Lord Black of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black? The family he had hated and despised for their bigotry and pureblood mania? He shouldn’t even have been allowed to have passed through the wards let alone been able to take up the honorific of _Lord _. Part of him had said he didn’t want it, that he shouldn’t have come in the first place and ignored that small part of his brain. The other part of him, the part of him that was rational and used thought and logic, had said that there was no way he _couldn’t _take it. The name Black, while desecrated with Dark Wizards and tainted with the blood of too many innocents, held weight in Britain’s Wizarding communities. It wasn’t the fear that attracted Sirius, it was the power. As awful as it sounded, as much as went against practically everything he stood for, he would have _power _. He could change things, he could throw _Toujours Pur _out the window and recreate the Black family image and use his power and his money to change things for people like Remus, for people like Lily.________

_____ _

_____ _

“ _Are _you of sound mind?” Sirius had asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.__

____

____

“Am I still alive?” Arcturus had shot back, keeping that desperately irritating sort of grace that had been instilled in him since he had been a child himself. “You were always painted to be the outcast, Sirius. You always had the most expectations being the son of my son but those expectations, they were never for you. You have very different ideologies than I and most of the family, this I know. But I also know you to be fiercely loyal, independent, and quite intelligent despite what some family members may think.” Sirius fought the urge to roll his eyes. No matter how many years had passed, he still had that pureblood etiquette ingrained in him, the one that taught children never to disrespect the Head of House. 

“Why me?” Sirius had asked, wanting to get to the point. Ever the Gryffindor; his grandfather ever the Slytherin. 

“The legacy,” Arcturus had hissed. “I know your intentions, I know you to be the Potter boy’s godfather and if you are a shred of yourself after your stay in Azkaban then I know you are going to go to him and take him to a proper home, our home. The House of Black legacy will reside with the Potter boy with you as Head and I’d much rather have it go to him than to the Malfoy boy.” Sirius had tried too hard not to think about what that meant actually.

“I still don’t understand, Grandfather. _Why me _?”__

____

____

“You were always my favorite,” Arcturus had said simply and flippantly before coughs racked through his body. Sirius had stepped closer, his lip twitching. “I knew you were difficult and had a different understanding of the world but you were still my favorite. You were the strongest of them, your brother and your cousins, that is, you bore a weight that none of the others had known about for too long before seeking refuge with a friend. I do not blame you for that, grandson. Your mother and father were horrible people, they were poor representations of House Black and they had treated you and Regulus like soldiers. How Orion ended up that way, I do not know though I suspect your mother had influence over him.” 

Sirius couldn’t help the cold that had found its way into his chest at the mention of his little brother, and then the frozen despair and lingering fear at the mention of his parents. Arcturus had casted him a sorrowful look quickly before hardening his features. 

“Despite our differences, despite it all, you are best suited to become _Lord Black _. I do not care what ideologies and beliefs it takes in the future but House Black will remain respectable and powerful under your hand. That is all I want and all I could ask for at this very moment,” Arcturus had finished, looking even more frail and decrepit than moments before. Sirius had stood up straighter. He had known he had to accept.__

____

____

“I will become Lord Black,” Sirius had stated firmly and Arcturus beckoned him to come closer. His arm was stiff and if Sirius hadn’t known his grandfather or hadn’t been deeply paying attention, he probably would’ve missed the small gesture.

“I have very little time before I pass, I probably won’t make it to nightfall. I bear this to you, Sirius Orion Black, the ring to be worn of the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. I pass the title of Lord Black onto you, knowing that you will do everything in your power to uphold House Black in a respectable and promising way, to continue on the family line for generations to come. I give you my blessing,” Arcturus had said ceremoniously, his face hardened and proud. Even in sickness, even being so close to death, Arcturus Black had radiated power and grace. 

Sirius had held out his left hand. He had slipped the Black Family ring onto his middle finger. The ring had tightened around Sirius’s finger and locked itself in place causing family magic to pour into his body and run through his veins. 

“Thank you, Grandfather,” Sirius had said reverently. “I will not disappoint you in your wishes.” 

“A letter has been sent to Gringotts, you will have to go there and present yourself as Lod Black to have access to the family vaults and to be formally recognized,” Arcturus had rasped and Sirius nodded. 

“I intend to keep this private from the Ministry for some time. I need to recover, I need to heal, and I need to grieve,” Sirius had stated and Arcturus nodded slowly, the movement seeming to pain him greatly. Too damn proud not to, Sirius had thought. 

“I suggest you try and hide the news from your cousins as well, specifically Narcissa. Keep your hand hidden during the funeral,” the elderly man had wheezed and Sirius nodded. 

“Right,” he had commented blankly, completely forgoing the thought of attending the funeral. But it would have been good to show himself there, keep his family members on their toes even if they hurled insults at him. The thought had made him grin something fierce when they would come to know that he had been given the Lordship ring after all. He, the black sheep of the family of all people, had become Lord Black and he would be the one who ran the family and changed their ways. If any of his family renounced him or fought with him over it, he would make it known publicly that they would know longer share the surname Black in anything but sheer commonality. That had never happened to him in reality, losing the family name in everything but coincidence, but it wouldn’t stop him from making it happen to other lunatics.

Sirius Black had become _Lord Black _after feeling the sudden urge to revisit the Manor and he felt pretty smug about that. For once in his life, it had felt good to be home.__

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____

~

Sirius still hadn’t gotten quite used to seeing the ring on his middle finger, sitting there like it had always belonged there in the first place. It was solid gold and adorned with black diamonds; he admired its simplicity. Sirius looked back to the letter addressed to him. 

“How did she even find me?” Sirius muttered to himself, staring at the handwriting. He opened the letter, not quite carefully. He read it over three times. 

_Cousin,_

__

__

_It is time we had a chat. Many months have passed since Grandfather’s funeral and I wonder why you were even there in the first place being the vile blood traitor you are. How you even knew he was ill in the first place is a mystery to me with you being locked up in Azkaban when his sickness was at its onset. Not even Andromeda showed her face so why did you, I wonder._

____

____

_I don’t know where you are, I admit, but the Malfoy Family owl will have found you I’m sure. We must meet, there are many things to discuss including the Lordship over House Black. Meet me in Tutshill tomorrow evening at 5:30, the Tangled Boar Inn._

____

____

_Narcissa_

__

__

__

__

Sirius was enraged, at least part of him was. She was always pompous and assuming, thinking anyone would do her bidding when she demanded it. But most of the time it worked out for her because she also seemed to know exactly what to say, to get a person thinking, to scare someone, to manipulate someone. It was a skill that both impressed and scared Sirius. _We must meet, there are many things to discuss including the Lordship over House Black _. How much did she know already? Did she know anything at all? Why now?__

____

____

Sirius had too many questions swimming in his head and he wanted to make tea. So he did exactly that, the letter from Narcissa clamped tightly in his fist the enter time. The ring on his middle finger seemed to pulse with his heartbeat and tighten on his finger. 

He often forgot that he was Lord Black. He hadn’t told anyone besides Remus and it was something that, well, slipped his mind. He didn’t need to be Lord Black right then, he didn’t need the bureaucratic bullshit and the endless family drama that would ensue. He needed to be there, in Dover, for Harry, for Remus, and for himself. He was better since his release, but he wasn’t perfect. He didn’t want to be in the public eye, he didn’t want to have his movement tracked by the press. He wanted his family and he wanted to be safe. It was the same reason he hadn’t taken the Wizengamot seat yet. 

Who did Narcissa think she was? Owling him this early in the day, demanding to meet with him over family affairs as if she wasn’t _Lady Malfoy _. It made him clench his jaw and grind his teeth. He was the only Black left in his sick, twisted family that could take up the mantle of Lord Black. His aunt and uncles had either all died, were death eaters, or haven’t been heard from in years. And Arcturus had picked him. Sirius had to wonder what would’ve happened had he remained in Azkaban. Would Narcissa have tried to lay claim to the Black family name? Would she not have thought of it? Would Arcturus have even crowned a successor? It was all because of his presence at the funeral, he knew, but that still didn’t make it any of Narcissa’s business.__

____

____

He didn’t know what to do if he were being honest. He didn’t want to go, obviously, but would that incriminate him? He was also curious to know what his cousin had found out if she’d found out anything at all. If she went to Gringotts and asked for access to the family vaults, perhaps she could have come to know then. There was also Remus and Harry to think about. Yes he would go, if he were going at all, heavily prepared and ready with spells should something happen, but it would only be the day after the full moon and Sirius wasn’t sure if Remus would be capable of physically taking care of Harry, even if just for a few hours. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. This is exactly what he was trying to avoid for as long as possible. 

“Alright Pa’foot?” a small voice asked and Sirius looked up. He hadn’t noticed Harry entered the room, rubbing sleep dust from his eyes, his voice distant and incredibly sleepy sounding. 

“I’m alright, pup. Why are you up?” Sirius inquired and Harry pointed to the kettle that was whistling. How long had that been happening for? Why did he just notice it now?

“Loud,” Harry murmured and Sirius gave him an apologetic smile. 

“Forgive me, pup. I got lost in thought,” Sirius said, moving to the kettle to pour himself a cup of tea. “Would you like any?” he asked. Harry shook his head and plopped in his seat at the table. 

Sirius sat down next to him with his steaming mug and remembered he still had the parchment clutched tightly in his fist. He didn’t know what to do with it. Harry yawned wildly, taking his attention from the letter. “Why don’t you try and sleep more, kid? You could go back upstairs or even pass out on the couch,” Sirius offered and Harry nodded lazily. The boy had a long night, he needed more sleep but he didn’t seem keen on moving. Sirius sighed with a small smile. “Come on, you can sleep on the couch with me,” Sirius encouraged, putting the letter in his pocket and picking up his cup of tea. 

This time, Harry did move and followed his godfather to the couch in the living room. Harry tentatively made himself comfortable on Sirius’s lap and the latter let his hand start running its fingers through his bedhead. 

“Comfy?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded slowly. The man smiled. “Rest, pup.” Sirius’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the letter in his pocket, now crumpled up after spending so long in his clamped fist. He had to talk to Remus about it but he felt as though he had to go. He _needed _to know what Narcissa knew and to understand why she sent the letter. It was safety and security for himself because while no one knew he had Harry Potter half-asleep in his lap at the present moment, that didn’t mean people couldn’t find out.__

____

____

“I love you, Pa’foot,” Harry murmured, half-delirious in exhaustion. Sirius looked down, dumbfounded but never stopped his hand running through the kid’s hair.

“I love you too, Prongslet,” Sirius muttered back. They would be okay. Dumbledore, Narcissa, the ministry, anyone that would try to hurt them or control them wouldn’t be able to break them. Sirius knew at that moment because Harry loved him and he said he loved him back and that’s all they ever really needed.

~

Remus groaned. He didn’t know what time it was but he knew he was back in his bed and he knew that Sirius was the reason for that. He was alone in bed but he could smell breakfast—or lunch, he really didn’t know what time it was—wafted from the kitchen downstairs. He wanted to get up and go down but he couldn’t move without pulling on the strain of his muscles or his joints creaking. He looked next to him and he saw two potions on the bedside table accompanied with a small note. Remus grabbed the note first. 

_Moony, drink the potions. I know you hate them and feel like it's your personal sacrifice to recover without magic usually but take the damn potions. If I come upstairs and you’re awake and they’re still sitting on the counter I will force them down your throat. Love you, Moonykins. Harry says take the potions as well _.__

____

____

Remus smiled at the note. They’d ordered a shit ton of potions when the first moved into the Cottage for days like these and for other mundane things. He knew Sirius’s threat wasn’t empty and honestly, he’d rather not face the man’s wrath so he lent over and picked up the first one—PepperUp. He downed it in one gulp and felt like his ears were actually pouring out steam which they might’ve been but he couldn’t tell. He had to admit that it did instantly help him feel a bit better, more alert maybe and like he could actually possibly get out of this bed alone if he tried hard enough. He took the second potion in his hand and gave it a whiff. Something akin to Skele-Gro he knew but he never quite remembered the name of it. As he drank it, he could feel his inflamed muscles starting to relax and his joints starting to feel not so wobbly but he still ached all over. It was just less now. 

Now being more alert and less achy, Remus started to feel cavernously hungry. He hadn’t had a proper meal since dinner two nights previous and the smell coming from downstairs almost reminded him of home. Just as he was about to try and get out of bed on his own to make it downstairs, Sirius came into the room. 

“Ah! Good morning, love. Sleep well?” Sirius asked, swooping down for a quick kiss before investigating the potions on the bedside. 

“Still morning?” Remus grumbled and Sirius laughed. 

“No, not quite anymore but still close. It’s just reached noontime,” the man said swiftly and Remus noted something a bit off in his husband. He was genuinely happy and smiling but there was a look behind his eyes that told Remus something wasn’t all right. 

“Smells good, you’ve been cooking?” Remus asked, his throat scratchy. 

“Oh you know it. Our pup’s been helping a good deal though, you know I’m not exactly the best cook. But he’s excited, we made you a really nice meal since I know how hungry you get when you wake up,” Sirius said softly and Remus grinned at him. 

“Take me downstairs, Padfoot,” Remus said with a bit of dramatic flair that made the Animagus proud. 

“If that’s what you request, princess,” Sirius grinned and Remus rolled his eyes.

Sirius helped Remus stand and guided him out the door, towards the stairs. Before they could even get one foot on the steps, Sirius stopped and threw Remus over his shoulder. The werewolf yelped as Sirius did so and protested lightly, “I can walk, Pads. Seriously, just put me down.” But when Sirius didn’t answer and just kept going, Remus resigned himself and rested his cheek against his husband’s shoulder. It did feel nice to be cared for the mornings after the full but he still felt like it was his burden to bear and no one should help him with it. “Self-deprecating prick, I’m helping you whether you like it or not. Now shut up and listen to Pomfrey,” Sirius would have said if they were at Hogwarts when he’d voiced these thoughts. It made Remus smile now. 

“Alright, you can let me down now, I can walk to the table,” Remus insisted, scrambling as much as he could without hurting himself but Sirius held tighter. 

“Honestly, love, you act like I’m just going to let you go as if I don’t want to hold you or be held by you every single second of the day,” Sirius laughed and Remus grumbled which only made his husband laugh more. 

Sirius finally helped Remus get settled into his usual chair at the table and Remus was fighting to stay upright the entire time. His body was absolutely spent and while the potions had helped some of the pain, they only masked the extent of his injuries. At least there’s no scratches and bite marks to worry about, though. 

“Good morning, Moony!” Harry shouted from the kitchen, running over to him. “We made breakfast!”

“Sirius told me that it was noontime so isn’t this lunch?” Remus teased with an amused smile. 

“Breakfast can be for any time!” the boy proclaimed and Remus wasn’t going to argue with that logic. It did smell really good in the house and it smelt intensely familiar as well, like his home in Wales when his mother would make him a large Welsh breakfast for big, special days. 

Sirius was making up plates in the kitchen already and hiding what it was from Remus. Harry sat next to Remus and looked at him, burning with questions and energy causing Remus to raise an eyebrow at him with an amused smile. Harry had gotten comfortable asking questions and saying what he was feeling over the two weeks they’ve had the boy under their care. There were still times when he needed validation that it was okay to do so, though and he still wasn’t big on too much physical affection and flinched when too sudden of a movement was made. But Sirius and Remus couldn’t have been more happy with his progress and how far he’d come since Privet Drive. 

“Is there something you’d like to say, pup?” Remus asked, taking a sip of coffee from the mug that was waiting for him. 

“Are you okay?” he asked immediately and Remus set the mug down gingerly. 

“I’m okay,” Remus assured. Harry nodded while chewing his lip. “You can ask me anything you want,” Remus told him, knowing that he was still unsure of being able to ask questions about this topic. 

“Are you mad at me? Because I, you know, yelled...last..night,” Harry asked shyly, looking away. 

“No Harry, I’m not mad at you at all. In fact, I appreciated the gesture, it let me know that you were safe and that you wanted to know I was safe. So, thank you more than anything,” Remus answered genuinely and Harry beamed at him. 

“Are you hurt?” Harry asked quietly and Remus breathed out through his nose. Now that was a complicated question. 

“I’m not hurt in any particular way, but my body does hurt right now. It happens after every full moon, my body is exhausted and pushed to its limit. My muscles hurt, my joints ache and creak, my bones rattle, everything does hurt but I’m not hurt in any way, not like I used to be,” Remus explained and Harry’s eyebrows pinched together. 

“But you’re still hurt. Padfoot had to bring you downstairs and you said you were hurt,” Harry said, looking a bit confused. 

“It’s better now, with the Wolfsbane. I no longer scratch and bite myself,” Remus told the kid who narrowed his eyes, trying to understand. 

“But—“

“Pain is pain, Remus,” Sirius interrupted with a pointed look, placing two plates of food down on the table in front of Harry and his husband. 

“Yeah,” Harry supplied, looking firm and determined. “Just because it’s different now or whatever doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter,” he confirmed and Remus gave him an affectionate smile. 

“You’re right,” he relented. Remus looked down at his plate and grinned, tears brimming his eyes. “Welsh breakfast?” Remus asked, his throat even more scratchy now that he was trying to hold back his tears. 

“Laverbread and cockles and all,” Sirius answered, sitting down with his own plate. Remus stared at the food and felt his stomach grumble. 

“How did you even get the ingredients for laverbread?” Remus asked, immediately diving down into the plate. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Sirius grimaced. We went to the market in the village and searched everywhere, couldn’t find it,” he explained and Remus raised an eyebrow. 

“So how did you find it?” he asked and watched as Sirius’s face turned bright red and looked nervous. Sirius and Harry made eye contact and Remus took a deep breath. 

“Well, we came back here and I, well… Harry stayed here. I would’ve only been gone for a couple of minutes anyway—“

“You Apparated?!” Remus exclaimed and Sirius grinned sheepishly. 

“Just into Wales, a small town! I found a small market and found everything super quickly and paid and left! The Muggle money didn’t even take me that long!” Sirius said quickly, holding up his hands. 

“And what did Harry do?” Remus asked, glancing at the boy. 

“Harry stayed here, with you,” Sirius exasperated and Remus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“I read next to you,” Harry offered and Remus gave him a kind smile. “Padfoot wasn’t gone for long,” he supplied and Remus only shook his head. 

“Don’t go to that much effort just for me next time, alright Padfoot?” Remus compromised and Sirius gave him a look. 

“It was barely any effort at all, Moony. Stop acting like you’re not worth,” Sirius said, well, seriously and Remus only shook his head again. Sirius muttered something that sounded like “self-deprecating prick” under his breath and Remus grinned. He continued to eat his breakfast with his small family who cared about him very much and who he cared about just as much. 

~

Harry was in the living room playing with some legos and Sirius left him there for a minute, promising he’d be back after helping Remus back into bed. Still in his pocket was Narcissa’s letter which he planned on showing Remus once he was settled. 

“Hm, shower with me, Padfoot?” Remus asked and Sirius chuckled. Normally he’d say yes immediately but the thought of Harry downstairs prevented him. 

“I’ll stay with you, in the bathroom just in case but I don’t think it’s smart to have both of us be naked with the kid downstairs,” he answered wisely and Remus smiled at him. 

“You’re good at this,” he murmured as Sirius helped him tug off his shirt. “And you’re right.”

Remus showered quickly with no mishaps and was getting into their bed not too long after. Sirius sat next to him for a minute. Remus looked at his lover and raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could be thinking. 

“I got a letter today,” he said simply, not meeting Remus’s eyes. 

“From who? Dumbledore?” the werewolf asked and Sirius shook his head. 

“Narcissa,” he answered, the name rolling off his tongue with a growl full of disdain. 

“What?” Remus asked, completely shocked. He watched as Sirius wrestled the parchment from his pocket to hand to him. Remus read it over three times like Sirius had that morning. “Well you can’t go,” Remus stated as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. Part of him knew that wasn’t true and it hurt when Sirius looked at him with eyes that said the same thing. 

“I think I have to,” Sirius answered, playing with the ring on his middle finger. “If there’s something she knows, I want to find out what it is. What can she know?”

“Did she go to Gringotts?” Remus asked and Sirius shrugged.

“I think it’s possible, if not likely,” Sirius answered, laying back on the bed. “What if she knows about Harry.”

“She doesn’t,” Remus answered firmly. The thought of Narcissa Malfoy, wife of known Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, knowing about their godson living with them in Dover was terrifying and slightly enraging. “And if she does, well she’ll have us to deal with,” Remus gritted out much harsher than he intended. Sirius stared into his eyes, a faint smile on his lips that told him his eyes were glowing amber. With the full moon being not even twelve hours ago, the passion/emotion-induced eye color change was bound to happen more easily. 

“You’re right,” Sirius said simply. “What about you and Harry though? If I go, how will you and Harry fair? I know it’ll only be a few hours but I still worry,” Sirius bit his lip. 

Remus sighed, knowing his husband was right to feel such a way and he felt the same way too in all honesty. Tomorrow will be better but he won’t be back to normal, not to the point where he could make a meal or play with the boy. They would need help. Remus groaned as he sat up and reached for his wand, Sirius giving him a very confused expression. 

“ _Expecto Patronum _,” Remus said, wincing as the magic was drained out of him but the corporeal giant dog shot out from the end of his wand and came to rest next to him, waiting.__

____

____

“Remus, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sirius barked and Remus didn’t answer him as he leaned closer to the shimmering canine and whispered to it. 

“Find Minerva McGonagall, tell her she’s needed at the Black Cottage in Dover. Come alone,” he whispered and the wolf ran through the wall and out of the room. Remus sagged against the bed, his body absolutely drained. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Remus?” Sirius snapped and the werewolf only rolled his eyes. “You need to be resting, who did you even send that to anyway?”

“There’s only one other person I somewhat trust right now besides you—and Harry but he doesn’t count right now,” Remus groaned and Sirius stared at him. 

“McGonagall,” he said flatly and Remus nodded. 

“She comes here, we tell her you to need to do something important. She won’t ask too many questions, you know she won’t. We ask if she could be here tomorrow night while you’re gone, I’m a bit indisposed at the moment, and with Harry, having someone around will be good for both of us,” Remus started to explain, wincing as he shifted himself to be more comfortable on the bed. Sirius reached to help him. “Then, I was thinking, we ask her to help us with the whole Dumbledore situation, see if she knows anything that we don’t,” Remus said with a mischievous grin that was reminiscent of their Hogwarts days.

Sirius sat and thought about it for a moment. Remus was also the smart one, always the calculating one. He was right, Minerva was one of the most trustworthy people in their lives, if it really came down to it, he would even tell her of his ‘promotion’ in the Black Family and he’d trust her not to tell anyone. But he still didn’t want to because there was always the chance of Dumbledore finding it out. Sirius really didn’t want that yet, that would create a whole other slew of questions he’d have to answer from the old man, and dealing with Narcissa would already be more than what he’d want to handle. 

“Padfoot!” Harry called from downstairs and Sirius looked at Remus once more before nodding his head. 

“Fine, we’ll talk to Minnie,” he grimaced and Remus smiled into the kiss that Sirius placed on his lips. 

Sirius went downstairs, leaving Remus in the bedroom alone. He thought of how the conversation with Minerva could go at least ten different ways in his head before the woman herself had shown up in their room. Remus didn’t know how much time had passed since Sirius had left at Harry’s call but he was back now with McGonagall next to him. “I’m going to get Harry,” Sirius said lazily and Remus nodded. They never liked leaving the boy alone for too long, not because they didn’t trust him but they feared he would stop trusting them. 

“What is it?” McGonagall asked once Sirius had left the room. Remus tried to sit up better in bed but the woman waved him off. “Oh relax, Remus. It’s the day after the full,” she chastised and Remus could see the look behind her eyes that said, ‘And you casted a corporeal Patronus when Sirius could’ve easily done the same, you dimwit’. Remus smiled at her. 

“Tomorrow night, Sirius has some business to take care of—business that’s not my place to tell you and I doubt you’d get an answer out of Sirius,” Remus said, tacking on the last bit at Minerva opening her mouth. She snapped it close, appearing unimpressed and annoyed but letting Remus go on. “It’ll only be for a few hours at most but even though it’s a full day after the moon tomorrow, I fear I will not be enough for Harry physically, yet,” Remus explained with a grimace and Minerva watched him for a minute. 

“And you wish for me to stay with you while Sirius attends to this… _business _?” she confirmed and Remus nodded, holding his neck to stop the muscles from burning.__

____

____

“We need help,” he said and Minerva nodded once stiffly. 

“Well, I don’t see why I couldn’t help,” she answered and Remus smirked. 

“So what you’re saying is that even if we don’t accept Albus’s _olive branch _, you’d continue to help us if we asked?” Remus guessed, the look in eyes not fleeting and determined. Minerva’s own eyes hardened.__

____

____

“What I do on my own time is my own business,” she sniffed. “However, I feel that even if I do offer my help and services, it’ll be much more limited during the school year,” she answered and Remus bit his lip in thought just as Sirius returned to the room with Harry. 

“Playing nice?” Sirius asked, a calculated, pleasant smile gracing his aristocratic face. It was no doubt learned from years of pureblood upbringing, meant to placate and to deceive all the same, and Sirius was good at it. Even if he hated his family, hated his parents and Grimmauld Place, and hated pureblood mania, he was good at being a pureblood when he wanted to and when he needed to. He much preferred being called a blood traitor but all the tricks, all the pleasantries, and etiquette from his upbringing he had learned well. And even despite it all, being a Gryffindor, becoming a soldier of war, being framed a murderer and a traitor, _Azkaban _, Sirius knew how to fiddle a person around. The only part he hadn’t been good at was his temper, his brashness when he truly didn’t care about who he was talking to but this was all for Harry and Remus.__

____

____

He wasn’t trying to pull one over McGonagall, not in the slightest but he was playing the room to his advantage, softening her up a bit to get the upper hand. “Everything’s fine, Padfoot. Minerva’s agreed to tomorrow,” Remus answered pleasantly, very aware of the six-year-old in Sirius’s arms. 

“Ah wonderful!” Sirius said, genuinely relieved. 

“We were discussing future instances in which this might need to be arranged,” Remus added and Sirius looked to McGonagall. He understood a little from the way Remus’s voice was tight and the way McGonagall looked between him and Harry, a little forlorn and apologetic and a little hardened and unyielding. 

“I see, however, I suppose this conversation could finish tomorrow after everything is said and done,” Sirius answered and Harry looked at him, a skeptical and confused look on his face that made him look way too old for a six-year-old. 

“I quite agree,” McGonagall answered. “Perhaps then we could discuss a little bit more of _everything _,” she continued, her eyes searching the entirety of Sirius. He thanked Merlin that Harry’s bottom was currently blocking the ring on the middle finger of Sirius’s left hand. McGonagall found nothing.__

____

____

“Right, perhaps we may,” Sirius answered, a dazzling gleam to his smile and Minerva narrowed her eyes at him. Both Sirius and Remus knew that their old Professor was not having it out for them in any malicious way, she was merely concerned and wanted answers. The only thing that could possibly make everything go sideways was her relationship to Albus Dumbledore but Minerva had always valued students and their safety over everything, children over everything. She saw them to be the light of the future, a glimpse of hope for future generations to come. That’s where Harry was special in this situation. 

“Well, then. I ought to be going. Next time, please write a letter,” she said pointedly to Remus who shrugged. 

“Short notice,” he answered and she narrowed her eyes again. 

“Would you like a spot of tea before you go, Minnie?” Sirius asked, still holding onto Harry who was just as lost, if not more, as Minerva was. Pureblood pleasantries: don’t make it seem like a guest’s presence is a burden. Don’t make it seem like they are no longer welcomed and if they accept your offer show no disdain. Don’t reveal _anything _.__

____

____

“That would be lovely,” Minerva answered and Sirius couldn’t tell if she was hoping to glean more from him about tomorrow’s meeting with Narcissa or if she was genuinely interested in tea. “Will young Harry be joining us?” she asked and Sirius inwardly sighed. It always came back to Harry. His safety, his presence, his well-being, his life. Sirius would always protect him. 

“Pup?” Sirius asked Harry, always giving him the option to not say yes even though Sirius knew he would in an instant. And there he was nodding his head fiercely. 

Minerva smiled and followed the two boys out of the room after bidding Remus goodbye. Remus watched them go and grimaced as he did, he trusted Minerva, he always had but Dumbledore was still in the picture with her around. And Sirius, the man never stopped amazing him. He knew the niceties when he saw it, knew that Sirius only reserved that when entering a tense and delicate situation and perhaps McGonagall knew that as well, especially since fighting a war with the man. Perhaps she’d forgotten or perhaps she didn’t care enough to not play into it. 

Remus wasn’t sure anymore about anything. Dumbledore was one thing, he could be dealt with. Narcissa Malfoy née Black was an entirely different thing because she, for one, was married to a Death Eater and she was Sirius’s cousin. If she were smart (which she very much was), she would know that Sirius was already Lord Black and if she was smarter she would demand an Heir of him, lest he make her son the Heir. But Sirius could handle himself, he always could even when he shouldn’t have to do it alone. Narcissa was someone he would have to handle alone and he wishes it were different. 

~

Sirius was annoyed. He was over it all. He didn’t want to deal with family bullshit garbage this soon and he didn’t want to have to rely on others. He only wanted to live with his husband and godson in a little bit of peace until they were ready to reenter the world. Harry wouldn’t have been a part of that, he would’ve remained a secret until Hogwarts for his safety. But Sirius knew he would have to announce himself as Head of House Black at some point in the future. He wanted it to be on his own terms but Narcissa was throwing a wrench in that. If there was one thing he wouldn’t let her throw a wrench in, it was Harry’s life and his safety. There was no way she could know of his life, no way she could know that he was in Dover with him and his half-blood werewolf husband. 

Sirius put the dishes in the sink after Minerva left and set a Cleansing Charm on them as he watched Harry play with Legos. He seethed and he let out low growls from the kitchen at the thought of his cousin knowing about Harry, about his life. He would protect him and Remus with everything he had, whether it be spells, money, power, or pureblooded etiquette. He would do anything he needed to in order to protect his family. They were all he had and he wasn’t about to lose everything again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’ve said it once, i’ve said it five times, ill say it again.... typos pls ignore
> 
> also just a note about wolfstar in general: they remind me of the dynamic between david and patrick from schitt’s creek with david being sirius and remus being patrick... just some thoughts
> 
> anyway, hope u enjoyed!! :D


	7. Sirius Alone: Faces of the Past turn Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so im almost caught up in everything I've written for this so chapters may come out a little more slowly considering i'm a senior in college and i constantly am crying over it. but for now, things are getting interesting with our favorite three lovelies, namely one sirius black. read on to find out what happens!! 
> 
> enjoy!!!

Sirius felt wrong and out of place in Tutshill at the Tangled Boar inn, like he was being watched and he was watching everyone at the same time. It was nothing like the village in Dover, no one was smiling at him kindly or waving to him like they’d known him all his life. He supposed that it could be the robes he donned for the occasion though. After all, this is a wizard pub and he’s meeting his cousin; he needed to dress the part. 

He ordered a firewhiskey and held it close to him with his right hand, not letting anyone near it. He kept his left hand firmly in his pocket, not letting Narcissa know any more than she might know. He knew reasonably that she already knew what Arcturus had done in his final hours, or at the very least had some inkling of what had transpired in their grandfather’s bedroom. 

It was close to 5:30 but he had shown up at 5 to keep a close watch on the place, to see if anything was out of the ordinary. The inn seemed fairly mundane if not a little dirty but it was enough and Sirius knew why his cousin chose it. The people in the bar knew him to be an outsider, they’d perhaps even recognized his lineage based on his features and his clothing. His robes were well-tailored to fit his body and were a beautiful deep, midnight blue with silver accents, making his eyes stand out even more against his black hair. Narcissa had been luckier, she looked less like a Black and people were none the wiser now that she’d become a _Malfoy_. 

Sirius thought of Remus and Harry in Dover while he waited at the bar for this meeting to start. It was only 5:15. Remus who’d been so willing and eager to push himself throughout the day despite his fatigued body and sweet, little Harry who was in tears by the time Sirius left. Harry never did well when the Animagus left without confirmation of return time and this evening had been no different. Even when McGonagall showed up with a promise of a good home-cooked meal and maybe some even magical instructions on Transfiguration, Harry was still upset. Sirius hated leaving him, hated not telling him where he was going or why but for now it had to be that way. They would explain it to him once the dust had settled, Sirius promised himself he wouldn’t keep Harry in the dark if he didn’t need to but right now, the boy needed a shroud of darkness from Narcissa’s prying eyes. 

Sirius resigned himself to a table in the back corner of the bar, away from most of the other patrons and with his back exposed to the wall, giving him a good view of the entire establishment. Narcissa would be the one in the vulnerable position and that made Sirius grin into a cruel smile. The anticipation of the meeting was starting to mount itself and he really wished to have it be over so he could return to his life in Dover. 

He looked up the instant he heard heals clipping on the floor, his cold, grey eyes meeting unnerving, ice blue. Narcissa’s blonde hair was impeccably straight and ungodly long, her face had aged slightly but Sirius knew that didn’t reflect her capabilities or her skill. 

She stopped at the edge of the table and raised a perfectly manicured, slender eyebrow. He felt the magic of her silent _Muffliato_ encase the small table where they were seated at and hid a smirk. She placed her glass of gillywater on the table with a _thwack_. “It’s customary to stand and greet family, Cousin,” she drawled and Sirius only stared at her. 

“It’s also customary to request an audience with family rather than demand a meeting. However, I figured this would be of the utmost importance coming from you dear Cissy, after years of no contact, so me, being the kind man I am, showed up anyway,” Sirius bit back, rooted in his chair, his left hand plainly out of her view. Narcissa sniffed and pulled out the seat across from him, sitting in it delicately. 

“Does Lucius know where you are? Meeting with your blood traitor cousin?” Sirius asked, a cold smile teetering at the edge of his mouth. 

Narcissa glared at him quickly before schooling her face to be more neutral. “He knows I have urgent business but he did not ask any questions,” she answered plainly and Sirius raised her own eyebrow to her. He did not believe that was the truth, at least not the whole of it, for one second. 

“What is it that’s so pressing?” Sirius asked, cutting right to the point. 

“You were at grandfather’s funeral, I want to know why,” she answered back immediately and Sirius considered her for a moment. Narcissa was always rigid and upright, always holding back and always poised. But right now, she wasn’t despite her effort to show otherwise; Sirius grew up with her and knew her too well. She’s much too proud—classic Black family trait—to show her true colors around anyone but she was cracking, at least a little. Her shoulders were slightly sagging and there were more worry lines creasing her face than frown lines. He knew her to have a young boy, around Harry’s age, but unless he was the spawn of Death (which he very well might’ve been, being the son of Lucius) he didn’t see why that would cause her much worry at all. Something was wrong. 

“He owled me,” Sirius lied easily, concealing the truth with his voice, “After I got out of Azkaban, he told me he was on his deathbed and he requested me at his service. He said that an elf from the Manor would notify me when it was truly over,” Sirius answered. Not mentioning the family magic that pulsed beneath his skull, urging him to Black Manor was simple. Not mentioning the ring on his middle finger was even simpler. 

Narcissa stared at him and reminded him of the old her for an instant, the strong woman he’d always known her to be even if she was terrible and filled with bigotry. “Why did you go, then? Surely grandfather asking you to return to the Manor was not reason enough for you to actually return?” she guessed and Sirius’s lip twitched. She knew. 

“Pity? spite? What does it matter? Grandfather was one of the members of our House I could tolerate and find comfort in. He was harsh and unrelenting but he wasn’t Orion or Walburga,” he explained, taking a sip of his firewhiskey with his right hand afterward. 

“It matters because as most understand it, House Black is without a Head,” Narcissa sneered almost but she managed to keep it under wraps. Sirius noticed and hid the frown that threatened to reveal itself. 

“Most understand it that way?” he posed, an eyebrow raised. “Why not all? That is the way I see it,” he continued and Narcissa’s mouth coiled into a smile, a cold and triumphant smile. 

“So you insist on keeping it a secret, at least for now?” Narcissa asked and Sirius was sure he was as pale as a sheet by now. She had no reason to play his game any longer.

“Keeping what a secret?” he demanded, trying to keep his hand for as long as possible. He knew it to be futile at this point, there was no hiding it as she clearly knew but he wanted her to reveal how she’d come to find out in the first place. He wasn’t going to give her anymore than he needed to and she seemed to recognize that. 

“I’ve been to Gringotts,” she revealed, looking down to a perfectly manicured nail. “Inquired about the Black vaults, seeing if they were still idle but I’d been informed that they had remained active the entire time after Arcturus’s death. They said that the House of Black has a Lord but they wouldn’t tell me who and you showed up to the funeral and now, you haven’t moved your left hand which isn’t wand hand so your obviously hiding something that isn’t your wand,” she explained and Sirius was quite shocked she said so much at once. 

“What exactly do you want, Cissy?” Sirius asked, leaning forward finally bringing his left hand onto the table. The golden band of the ring seemed to dazzle in the artificial bar light. Narcissa stared at it, her lip curling again. 

“Protection,” she stated, looking back up to meet Sirius’s eye and he frowned.

“You don’t need any protection. You’re a Malfoy, you’ve got a fortune that you can spend any way you’d like and you’re Death Eater husband wouldn’t even bat an eyelash,” he scoffed and Narcissa’s eyes betrayed her features. Something was going wrong at Malfoy Manor. 

“I’ve a son,” she said tightly and Sirius raised an eyebrow, keeping his mind away from Harry who’d probably be learning about the principles of Transfiguration from McGonagall at this point. Or maybe eating dinner. He didn’t know how much time had passed since his cousin’s arrival. “The Dark Lord,” she bit her lip and Sirius raised an eyebrow. “They say he’s gone.”

“He’s not,” Sirius said and he knew it to be true. Narcissa did as well. 

“Lucius, he’s… acting differently. He denies the return of the Dark Lord will ever happen but he appears to be training our son for his eventual return. I fear he is breeding my son into a Death Eater,” she answered and Sirius could sense that there was more to it. He needed to know. 

“That’s not all,” he insisted and Narcissa looked back down to the ring. 

“Draco is seven,” she choked and Sirius raised an eyebrow. Blacks never faltered their words, especially not his cousin. Narcissa… she couldn’t be… no. He didn’t care who the kid’s parents were, he was a child. 

“Unforgivables?” Sirius whispered, for the first time averting his eyes from his cousin. 

“Just Cruicatius,” she whispered back and Sirius took a deep breath. He found Narcissa’s blue eyes again that seemed so distant. That fucking bastard Death Eater piece of shit, hurting a child like that. Part of him wanted to be angry with Narcissa still, say that whatever was happening to her she deserved, and part of him was. He went to Azkaban with no trial for crimes he never committed, she and her husband barely had an inquiry. It made his blood boil. But just like him with Harry, she was thinking of her son. Draco. 

“And you?” he asked and Narcissa looked a bit taken aback. 

“Same thing, some physical hitting,” she murmured and Sirius could see the cracks in Narcissa’s armor and decided he hated it. It was unnatural. 

“Why don’t you fight back?” he asked and she glared at him. 

“I’ve tried, he does when we least expect it. Says the Dark Lord had acted just the same and we need to always be on alert. He said if I say anything to anyone about it he will have me removed from the family and keep Draco with him. I can’t leave my son,” she said and Sirius took another deep breath. He could understand that. 

“Sounds like the complete nutter he’s always been. What do you want me to do?” he asked and she raised an eyebrow at him, clearly surprised. 

“Why haven’t you declared yourself to the Wizengamot?” she asked though he knew she probably already guessed the answer. At least part of it. He saw no indication she knew of Harry. 

“Azkaban. I am recovering, I am remembering myself. I want time for me and my husband to live a quiet, peaceful life away from the Ministry’s bullshit,” he grumbled and Narcissa nodded. 

Silence fell over them. If Sirius stayed in the dark as the family outcast, Narcissa and her son would be stuck with Lucius. He could try to do something covert but he wasn’t about to put himself, Remus, or Harry in that position. He and Narcissa had always hated each other, at least he thought. He never got along with Bellatrix or very many of his family members but he’d never argued with Narcissa. He scoffed and rolled his eyes when she was set to betroth Malfoy but they never said words of hatred to each other or fought. She wasn’t Andromeda or Regulus but she wasn’t the worst of them and she needed help. Regardless that she was part of his family, his blood, she had a son who was mercilessly being tortured by his own father. Sirius knew the feeling and it made bile rise through his throat. 

Sirius thought of Arcturus who had said he’d rather the heir to House Black be ‘the Potter boy’ than the Malfoy boy. Sirius wondered if it was solely because of Lucius and that Narcissa had just been lumped in with him. Arcturus was never one to disregard children, he was never affectionate and didn’t understand the nuances of childhood but he respected them. Sirius thought of the promise he made his grandfather that night, a week after his release from Azkaban. 

“I will help you,” Sirius broke the silence and Narcissa watched him. She knew there was more to it than that. Sirius smiled his cruel smile. He would help her no matter what, he would get her and her son out of that situation but if he could also benefit from it? Well, how could he pass that up? “Grandfather gave me the Head ring, I am _Lord Sirius Black_ of the _Ancient and Most Noble House of Black_ but as you know, I think it’s pretty much pants at being noble. Grandfather entrusted me with the family, knowing we had different ideologies and our differences in worldview. I know you and me to have much of the same type of relationship except for one thing. You are _not Lady Black_ ,” Sirius was smiling a very smug smile as Narcissa’s lip twitched and her eyes burned a fury not very fit for such blue eyes. 

“What do you want? Repayment?” she bit and Sirius leaned back in his chair, taking a quick swig of his firewhiskey, the gold ring on his finger shining. 

“Not at all, at least not in the way you’re probably thinking. Cissy, at a great personal sacrifice, I will help you and your son. No child should grow up in that environment, let alone with Lucius Malfoy as a father—“ Narcissa rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut. “I don’t want money, I don’t _need_ it. I want your allegiance to House Black from here on, that you will change your ideals and your beliefs along with House Black, raising your son in a way that doesn’t reek of pureblood supremacy,” he finished and Narcissa’s eyes were flaming but he could see the desperation extinguishing them. “You, of course, don’t have to accept. That won’t change my mind about helping you but you will, of course, still be in great personal debt to me and to your native House. I am offering you a quick way to repay that debt,” he continued and Narcissa took a sip from gillywater, the first one she had since her arrival Sirius noted. 

“How do you intend to help?” Narcissa asked through gritted teeth, knowing full well what Sirius’s beliefs were. Sirius mulled over his glass of firewhiskey, the feeling of the family ring heavy on his finger, a reminder that he chose who was in the Black family and he chose who was disowned. 

“I have… an idea. But it’s going to depend on you as much as it does me, if not more. And it’s going to take time,” he reveals, pausing. Narcissa waits for him to continue. “I will announce myself to the Ministry and to the Wizengamot. You are going to tell me about the Dark magic and the artifacts you harbor in your home. I will bring this information to the DMLE at the Ministry, insisting they conduct a raid. If they arrest you, you must surrender but I will vouch for you, your son should go to his godparents until your release. Lucius will remain imprisoned and you can return to Malfoy Manor, the Head of the family,” Sirius explained, albeit definitely watered down but Narcissa would know that. 

She considered him for a minute before sighing deeply. “I agree to your terms,” she said, her voice tight. “We must keep in contact, though. Perhaps it would be best if Draco were to be out of the house at the time of the raid,” she offered and Sirius resisted rolling his eyes. That was far into the future and far into the plan but he could understand where she was coming from. 

“Perhaps so,” he answered, raising his glass to his lips, pausing the conversation briefly. “A godparent would be a good place to send him, or even perhaps…” he let his lips curl into a smile and Narcissa glared at him. 

“Who?” she asked harshly but she knew who. 

“Another blood traitor of the family,” Sirius said, his face splitting with a cruel smile and Narcissa glowered at him. He didn’t even have to say her name “She will, of course, be welcomed back into the family should she choose to return. I even offer to seek her out myself and fill her in on your situation as much as you are comfortable with. Perhaps you and her can have communications after that,” Sirius smirked and Narcissa glared. Part of him, in that moment, was yelling at him. It was telling him not to trust her and that this is all merely a trap but Sirius knew that when it came to kids, there were no bars held. He could trust Narcissa, at least with this. 

“You contact her, you tell her what Grandfather has done, and you tell her it’s up to her to send me an owl,” Narcissa hissed and Sirius nodded. That was fair enough. They watched each other for another few minutes, trying to see if there were any other intentions the other had for this meeting or any ulterior motives. Sirius hated this part of himself a little bit, hated using and manipulating people but he could separate that part of himself from the part of him that loved Remus and Harry. And it’s not as though he’s using the threat of Narcissa’s freedom over her head, he’ll help put Lucius in Azkaban no matter what. It just felt wrong. 

He supposes it has to do with his resentment towards his family and their name ever since childhood. He grew up hating his family, hating everything they stood for and now he found himself at the top, as the Head. It was still a bit surreal to him and it was all incredibly new and he wasn’t sure if he was truly happy with his decision. But then he thought back to Lemieux, the baker in the village, and how he said he wanted to change the Black family reputation in their little town. That was never a lie but a part of a greater truth. (He also remembered telling him he was the last living Black but Sirius isn’t sure how true that is after all his father did have a sister, and Arcturus did have his own siblings…)

“Where does Lucius think you are?” Sirius asked after some time passed and Narcissa looked a bit affronted by his sudden question. But she calmed her expression and raised an eyebrow. 

“How did you know about Grandfather’s illness?” she asked and Sirius leaned back in his chair, bringing his glass back up to his lips. His eyes took a brief glimpse outside and saw the sun starting to sink further and further. It would be dark soon and he missed Remus and Harry terribly despite it being maybe two hours since leaving them.

“Touche,” Sirius said, raising his glass to his cousin who raised her backs in gesture. 

“I should be going now,” Narcissa said, checking the clock on the wall across from them, downing the last of her Gillywater. She turned to face Sirius, a lot of resentment and gratitude warring across her mask-like features. “I hope to hear from you soon, _Lord Black_.”

Sirius tipped his head in acknowledgment, watching as Narcissa left the bar with her head held high and her shoulders slightly sagging. Sirius may have not seen his cousin in years but he could still read her body language easily. She put herself in a cage, had a mask that she wore and never dropped—except maybe around her son now—and she’s incredibly cunning just as any good Slytherin should be. But this evening she seemed different, the mask was fracturing and the true Narcissa was seeping out. Sirius was intrigued, on guard, but intrigued nonetheless. Neither had drawn a wand on the other, the thought honestly never crossed his mind. 

Sirius waited a few minutes at the table before pushing it back harshly, leaving a couple of galleons on the worn wood. He left the pub, slightly relishing in the way others were staring at him whether they knew him or not. There was a newfound feeling he had with this meeting with Narcissa, he was truly the Head of Black House and sooner than later, the entirety of Wizarding Britain would know. He had to talk to Remus and Harry, both of them needed to consent to this for, as much as he said he would help Narcissa, his genuine family always came first. 

Sirius could hear Remus now. “ _Pads, I don’t think it’s the best idea but I know what you’re saying. It’s just going to mean you’re going to be in the spotlight a lot more and I just worry about you_ ”. Sirius smiled softly to himself, Remus was his moon, his everything. Sirius wondered if him announcing himself as Lord Black would mean that he would automatically have to take his seat on the Wizengamot. He didn’t want to, not yet. He was hoping he’d just be able to announce himself, get Narcissa out of the situation she’s in, and return to Dover unscathed and unbothered by Ministry bureaucratic bullshit. But when did Sirius Black ever get so lucky? Just this once, he thinks. His head was running through thoughts a million miles a minute and it was too much, it was always too much. But now he was thinking about his childhood and how many times he’d been on the receiving end of a Cruciatus and he was thinking about Harry who lived with those fucking Muggles. And he was thinking of a little boy around his godson’s age, cowered on the ground in front of a father who disregarded the life a child should live, favoring pain over anything. 

Sirius didn’t realize he’d come to sit outside the pub in the alleyway next to it. He was shaking slightly, he always did when he thought of Grimmauld Place and the childhood he had and Regulus. Suddenly the ring on his middle finger burned with intense hatred and regret; it was all he could do not to take it off and hurl it against the brick in the darkness. Not that he even could do so with the way it was tightened over the circumference of his finger. 

Sirius took a few deep breaths and didn’t, absolutely did not, let his thoughts wander to Azkaban and the feelings the dementors would pull out of him. Instead, he thought of Remus and Harry, forcing himself to stand. He had one other place to go and he truly hoped his dear cousin hadn’t moved from her home since he’d been in Azkaban. She was the only one he could stand and the only one in his deranged family who actually knew him. “ _Expecto Patronum_ ,” he mumbled, the thought of sleeping Harry curled up into Remus’s own sleeping form flooding his mind with absolute joy. A wolf burst out of his wand’s tip and began gallivanting around the alleyway before halting in front of its caster. 

“Go to Remus and Harry. Tell them everything is alright, I’ll be home a little later than thought. Everything is fine though and I’ll explain everything when I get back,” he murmured and the wolf did something that looked like a nod before vanishing into thin air as it attempted to run through the exposed brick. 

Sirius sat and scrubbed a hand through his long, black hair. Hair that he only really shared with the cousin he hated the most since Narcissa was pure blonde and Andy was brunette. He sighed. He thought of a small family home in Essex on the outskirts of the Muggle suburbs and with a _crack_! he was gone from Tutshill. 

~

Sirius looked at the front door of what should be Ted and Andromeda Tonk’s house. The front door was as much the same as he’d remembered it and even the rose bushes in the front yard looked as though they hadn’t aged in the almost fifteen years since he’d last seen Andromeda. Sirius tried squinting through the living room window that was lit with light from the lamps nearby. He couldn’t make out anything. Andromeda had a small daughter when he’d been carted off to Azkaban who should be in Hogwarts by now, Sirius recalled. He didn’t know why he hadn't moved from his spot on the sidewalk yet or why he was thinking of his cousin’s child but he just didn’t know for sure if it was still the house he’d known.

He went up to the door and knocked, a sudden flood of courage coursing through him. He and Andy were always friendly and never left off on bad terms but it had been too many years and he was coming to convince her to contact her estranged sister. And to tell her that he was Lord Black and he wished for her to rejoin the family. Sirius gulped. Andromeda was always a force to be reckoned with, she was headstrong like Sirius but graceful and poised like Narcissa at the same time. Regulus was graceful and poised too. But Sirius never mentioned Regulus. 

For a moment, Sirius feared her muggleborn husband would answer the door but was relieved when he heard the familiar gait of a ‘proud pureblood’ on the hallway approaching the front door. His cousin was as beautiful as ever and slightly haughty when she pulled open the door to her home. She always reminded Sirius of a kinder, less evil, overall better Bellatrix in terms of looks (and personality) but if the light caught her the wrong way, she looked exactly like the Death Eater. 

Andromeda looked stunned for a moment before regrouping, her expression turning neutral, if not a little pleased. “Cousin Sirius, what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked kindly as if nothing had changed in the last ten years or whatever. She stepped aside and let him in but Sirius could feel her eyes watching him, raking him over and scrutinizing him. He would be more concerned if she didn’t. 

“Hmm, now that’s a question,” Sirius answered with a small smile on his face as Andromeda led him to a sofa in a sitting room. 

“Oh come now, Sirius. It’s been how many years? You’ve been to Azkaban, called a traitor, said to have murdered thirteen people, and you show up here in good robes and that silly little ring on your finger. Yes, I noticed,” Andromeda spat out and finished tartly when Sirius gave her an incredulous look. 

“Well, I must say you cut the point much faster than Cissy did,” Sirius smirked and Andromeda raised an eyebrow, a frown tremoring across her lips. They watched each other for a few minutes, neither of them moving a muscle. 

“Tea?” his cousin finally asked. 

“If you please,” Sirius answered and Andromeda conjured a tea tray with a wave of her hand. Wandless magic, impressive. He’d be lying if he said Blacks didn’t have a natural affinity for controlling their magic without the use of a wand. He himself had a pretty sharp and powerful wandless _Stupefy_. 

“Now, I want to know exactly what’s happened since Azkaban, _Lord Black_ ,” Andromeda huffed once tea was served. 

“Quite demanding aren’t you, Dromeda,” Sirius murmured and Andromeda raised an eyebrow. 

“You come here to my house, where my husband and child reside, and I haven’t seen you in ages. You’ve been imprisoned and now you’re wearing Grandfather’s ring. Surely, you didn’t come here just for a spot of tea,” she pointed and Sirius smiles wryly at her. 

“No, I suppose I didn’t,” he said wistfully. “Alright, fine. Grandfather owled me after I was released from Azkaban, told me he was on his deathbed and he requested me to come to his funeral. I was made Heir then and there, upon his request. I’ve been recovering with my partner ever since, finding myself and all that. Azkaban… it changed me,” Sirius explained shortly and Andromeda looked just like Narcissa in that moment. Completely and utterly nonbelieving. Was he that bad of a liar? Or did they just know how their family works too well, with all the lies and the deceit? He wasn’t even lying entirely, just about the bits and pieces he wanted to keep under wraps. 

“You, a blood traitor, wanted at Grandfather’s funeral,” Andromeda quipped, looking wholly unamused. “What? Did you steal it off Arcturus’s finger?” she sneered after Sirius nodded. 

“Not at all, he gave it to me quite easily,” he answered back in a lazy manner. 

“Confundus? Slip him some kind of poison?” she asked and Sirius raised an eyebrow. 

“Do you honestly believe that I was genuinely, ever truly interested in becoming Head of House?” he asked, getting a little annoyed that his favorite cousin would think so lowly of him. Andromeda shifted in her seat, keeping Sirius under her scrutinizing glare. 

“They disowned you, like me,” she pointed out and Sirius inclined his head. 

“My mother and father, yes. However, Arcturus was the one with the sole power to actually disown a member of the family, magically, that is. I wasn’t written in the wills of Walburga or Orion but I knew that already. It seems Arcturus never felt quite the same way as my dear mum and dad,” Sirius offered and Andromeda was still watching him skeptically. 

“And what? Why are you here?” she asked and Sirius heaved a sigh. 

“A few reasons, I suppose,” he answered, swirling the contents of his teacup. “The first being… I wish to welcome you back in the House of Black,” he tried with a smile and Andromeda only leveled him with a complete deadpan glare. 

“Really? Welcome me back into the pureblooded mess of a family. And I thought you were somewhat sane. What? Has someone _imperused_ you?” Andromeda shot back and Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“Really, Dromeda. I haven’t been _imperused_ and yes, I’m one hundred percent serious… it is my name after all,” Sirius snickered and Andromeda rolled her eyes but with a fond smile. The classic joke never failed him yet. “When I talked with Grandfather, he acknowledged our differences,” Sirius began, much more business-like at this point. “He knew that we had differences in worldview and he knew that I would lead the Black family in a different direction than ever before. But I’m going to need help if I’m to do it. And there’s no one better than you in our fucked up, deranged family, Dromeda,” Sirius grinned at the end, raising his cup in the air in a gesture to a toast. 

Andromeda thought for a moment before raising her own cup with a soft smile. “Here, here, cousin.” They both took a sip and Andromeda straightened her already perfect posture and leveled with her cousin again. Sirius knew this wasn’t over yet with a few pleasantries but she seemed to trust him a bit more at this point. “How do I know you haven’t changed?” she asked, ever the skeptic. Sirius gave her a lopsided grin. 

“Well, I’m not sure if Grandfather knew exactly who he was passing the title onto. If he did then I’d say he’d gone completely off his rocker in giving the ring to his disowned, gay grandson who’s married to a werewolf half-blood,” Sirius answered, a bit of snark in his voice. Andromeda couldn’t help the smile that graced her face. 

“Remus, was it?” she asked and when Sirius’s expression turned a bit dreamy she knew she’d hit the nail on the head. 

“The one and only,” he answered softly and Andromeda nodded. They were quiet for another moment. 

“Is there anything I get in return for coming back to the family?” she asked, back to her professional, mask-like persona that she’d achieve growing up a pureblood. 

“You mean besides pissing off any of our dear old aunts and uncles?” Sirius asked, a wicked grin on his face. “Protection,” he answered casually. “Financially and otherwise. And I would like to consult you on matters concerning muggleborns when brought up in the Wizengamot. I plan to leverage the family name and money in a direction that benefits anyone who isn’t a pureblood.” Andromeda raised an eyebrow. 

“And my daughter? I suspect you don’t have an heir. Perhaps…” Andromeda trailed off at Sirius’s expression. His expression was stony and impassive. What she didn’t know was how much he was trying to occlude Harry from his thoughts just in case she was peeking into his head. He could never be too sure.

After a moment, he grinned his wicked grin again that seemed to have begun to look slightly more insane since his stint in Azkaban. “Well now, I won’t give away all my cards,” he answered, feeling a little bad for lying to his favorite cousin and using his less favorite cousin as a pawn. Harry would obviously be his Heir but no one needed to know that, not yet at least. 

“What do you mean?” Andromeda asked and he could tell she was already thinking of the possibility of a secret child. Thankfully, what he tells her is much more plausible and gives her a bit of a rise. 

“Well, I would try and owl your little sister, Andromeda. We had a nice little chat already and well, let’s just say the question of Heir to House Black has already been raised,” he said, finishing off the dregs of his tea. Andromeda scowled at him something fierce. Good, Sirius thought, that should get the two of them talking. 

“Why exactly did you talk to Cissy?” Andromeda hissed. Family was complicated and the Black family was a downright mess at the best of times. Try as they might’ve, Andromeda and Narcissa never truly hated each other, however, it has been years since they’ve spoken. And now Sirius is here, with the family ring and all after being outcasted himself, egging on his favorite cousin to talk to her bigoted, racist sister.

“She came to me, figured out what happened the night of Arcturus’s death. She asked for my help with some things but that’s all I’ll give you. You’ll have to talk to her yourself if you want more information on that,” Sirius revealed, a cruel smile twitching on his face. Andromeda glared at him more. 

“I’m not so sure if I trust you,” Andromeda raised and Sirius shrugged. 

“I figured as much,” he answered, getting to his feet. He really just wanted to be in Dover with Harry and Remus. This was like leading a second, much less fulfilling life and all he wanted was to see his favorite boys and make them smile. “I should be going. Thank you for the tea. Send me your answer by owl about my offer. And please, do contact Cissy. She was rather miserable when I saw her,” Sirius said, putting down his cup. Andromeda stood with him and raised an eyebrow, an amused smile finally playing on her lips. 

“Right, well. I won’t say it serves her right after everything but… I suppose it won’t hurt to try,” she answered and Sirius grinned. 

“That’s the spirit. And Andy, you’re still my favorite cousin,” he said earnestly as they moved towards the door, Andromeda opening it for him. Sirius stepped over the threshold into the warm, nighttime air. “I think it’d be good, this whole business with me being Head. Change the way the world views House Black and use our name for good,” he left her with and Andromeda eyed him fondly. Maybe she wasn’t so skeptical after all. 

“Maybe so, Sirius. Safe travels. My owl will find you,” she said and Sirius nodded. He turned on his heel and heard the door shut behind him as he passed through the house’s wards and Apparated on the spot. Both Black’s had smiles on their faces that they couldn’t hide. 

~

Minerva was sitting at the kitchen table with Remus, watching Harry play with Legos in the living room. Remus looked better than he had when she first arrived and Harry was well taken care of but she couldn’t help but wonder what the hell Sirius was getting up to. Remus on the other hand was doing everything in his power to avoid the very topic od Sirius and his whereabouts, much to his success and to Minerva’s annoyance. The door quickly opened and there was Harry’s happy, “Padfoot!” which had both of them moving quickly to where they could see the man in question standing in the doorway. He was patting Harry’s shoulder as the boy gripped the leg of one of his pant legs in his hand tightly. 

Remus raked his body up and down and couldn’t help it when his tongue darted past his lips to wet them. Sirius was godly, Remus had long known that and could never understand why a person like Sirius settled with him. (Sirius would whack him on the shoulder and bark at him that he was perfect any time he said something of the sort.) But Sirius in fancy wizard robes that were tailor-made to his body and fit for a proper pureblood like himself was an entirely different experience for Remus. 

Only when McGonagall cleared her throat did Remus realize that he was absolutely staring and he caught the amused look on his husband's ethereal face as he averted his gaze. “Hey, Sirius,” he breathed out and walked over to greet the man with a quick kiss. “Got your message, everything alright?” he asked and Sirius nodded, his eyes flickering over to McGonagall wearily and Remus knew he wanted to wait to talk about. 

“Thank you very much, Minnie. I hope Remus behaved himself,” Sirius smiled, trying to relax a bit but he wouldn’t feel relaxed until he was out of his robes and into Muggle clothes. Minerva eyed him a bit before nodding. 

She tried to hold back her smile. “Yes he was perfectly fine if not a little pushy. Mr. Potter was a joy,” she reported and Harry beamed while Remus grumbled. 

Sirius showed her to the door as Remus sunk down into the couch, a grimace on his face as his body protested against every movement he dared to make. The two of them shared a conversation at the door and Harry climbed onto the couch, getting comfortable next to Remus. The werewolf’s fingers landed in his unruly hair and began carding through it gently and the door clicked shut as Minerva left their house. Remus sighed in content. He had everyone he needed back under his house. He ignored the feeling of panic that threatened to rise up at that thought. They would last, something in his life would last for once. 

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Sirius said, taking the stairs two at a time. Remus knew that he was going to, unfortunately, change out of his robes for something more comfortable. Remus understood that Sirius would rather wear sweatpants and a t-shirt but he did fancy him quite a bit when he wore professional wear.

Sirius came back down the stairs after a few minutes and Harry’s head was in Remus’s lap. The latter remembered the Patronus’s message and he instantly had too many questions running through his head. Sirius had said he was okay and he sounded okay so Remus believed him. He seemed uninjured upon his arrival home and he didn’t seem too upset about anything. 

Sirius sat on one of the armchairs in the living room, across from Harry and Remus. He watched them fondly for a few seconds before mumbling, “Merlin, I am so glad to be home.” Sirius left it at that even though Remus knew there were so many more things he could say. 

“What happened?” Remus asked gently and Sirius heaved a great sigh before scrubbing his hand over his face. 

“Where to begin?” he said with a tight smile. Remus looked down at Harry and saw the boy watching in full attention. He was waiting for Sirius and he knew Sirius was doing something important. He wanted to be a part of it and he deserved to be apart of it. That’s why Sirius addressed Harry first. 

“Pup, there are a few things I need you to understand,” Sirius states and Harry startled a bit before relaxing back into Remus’s touch. “Do you remember the term muggleborn?” he asked and Harry nodded. 

“My mum,” he answered and Sirius gave him a smile. 

“Good lad, that’s right. Your mum was muggleborn, she was born to people who had no magical ability. Your father was what our people call a pureblood meaning that he was born to a family of witches and wizards who are primarily all witches and wizards. When they had you, you were born a half-blood because you had a pureblooded father and a muggleborn mother. Does that make sense?” Harry nodded. “I am a pureblood like your father, Harry. I come from a family that likes to call themselves the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. In other words, my family is a very old wizarding family who is made up almost entirely of witches and wizards. Most say that my family is entirely witches and wizards, but that isn’t true,” Sirius explained and Harry frowned. He paused so his godson could voice his question but he didn’t.

“My family… most of them are not very nice people, Harry. They’re mean and they think that people who are muggleborn, like your mum, do not deserve to have the same privilege and rights that pureblood wizards have. It’s terrible and awful and I greatly dislike the lot of them,” Sirius continued and Harry nodded, a frown still on his face. “My family didn’t like that I disliked them and disagreed with their ideas of the world and didn’t like that I had befriended people like your mum and fell in love with Remus, who’s a half-blood. I left home when I was fifteen and was cut off from almost all my family members,” he told Harry who looked gravely upset but still didn’t say anything.

“I hadn’t talked to any of them since I ran away but when I was released from prison, I felt this sort of urge—it’s hard to explain really but it was like my family’s magic was pulsing within me. I felt this overwhelming sense to return the home of the Head of the Black Family, my grandfather. I don’t know why I did or why I went but I did and my grandfather had a talk with me. He was passing on but he didn’t have someone to take over the family for when he was gone. He understood that I was different from him and we had different opinions but he made me the Head of the House of Black, Harry,” Sirius said, pausing again to let the kid think about it and try to understand it. 

“So… you’re in charge of all your family?” Harry asked, his face screwed up in concentration. Sirius nodded. 

“More or less, yeah. There’s more to it than that but it’s all very confusing and it isn’t something you need to worry about too much right now besides what I’m going to tell you and Remus,” Sirius answered and looked to his husband who urged him on with just a look. Sirius sighed. “Now that I am the head of my family, I am supposed to announce myself to the Ministry of Magic, the government of our world. I haven’t done so yet because I haven’t wanted to. I have you and Remus and I haven’t had to cared about my family. The Ministry was the least of my concerns,” Sirius explained and Harry nodded again. 

“They didn’t even talk to you when my parents died,” Harry whispered, sounding much too old for the ripe age of six. It made Sirius’s heart hurt but he was right. 

“Exactly, pup. I never even got a trial. But yesterday I received a letter from one of my cousins, her name is Narcissa and she has a son about your age, Harry. She is married to a man named Lucius Malfoy who is not a very good person. He is a Death Eater, one of the people who worked for Voldemort,” Sirius explained and Harry’s face hardened. He would never forget that name. “I meant with her tonight because I wanted to know if she knew about the change in power of our House even if she is, on all accounts, a Malfoy now. She told me about how Lucius treats her and her son.” Remus raised an eyebrow and mouthed “ _Cruciatius_?” Sirius gave a slight nod and the man’s face darkened. 

“Basically what I’m trying to say is I am going to have to announce my status to the Ministry now if I’m to help her and her son,” Sirius waited for Remus to protest and the man very much looked like he wanted to. But he didn’t. “I don’t want to at all, really but she is my cousin and she has a son who is facing hurt by his father. I have to help them but that means things are going to change for me. I might not be around as often but that doesn’t mean that you two are not the most important people to me. Over everything else that’s to come, you both will always be my number one priority,” Sirius told them in earnest and Harry looked positively mutinous. Sirius was scared to know why. 

Remus watched his husband and he knew that this was something that he had to do even if neither of them wanted him to do it. Remus also knew that this was the right thing to do. There was so much more to be said, so many more things to discuss but that could all wait until Harry was asleep and Sirius was cuddling with Remus after a night away from each other. In that moment, though, Remus understood that their perfect little bubble couldn’t be so perfect anymore. He knew Sirius was going to have a lot more to deal with and he was going to need Remus more than ever probably. Sirius wasn’t all there still, he was better but he was still recovering. He would still get lost in space, staring at absolutely nothing and sleeping wasn’t easy but Remus would be there. He always would be. 

“Harry, what are you thinking?” Sirius asked softly. His features were etched with nervousness. Harry shrugged, not meeting his eye but Sirius needed him to talk about it. “Please, pup. Nothing you say will end up against you. Remember, you’re safe,” he said gently and Harry huffed. 

“They’re not though,” Harry mumbled, crossing his arms. Remus and Sirius exchanged confused looks.

“Do you mean Narcissa and her son?” Remus asked kindly and Harry stalled before nodding. 

“It’s not fair,” he said, obviously upset but not meeting either Sirius’s or Remus’s eyes. Sirius felt a pang of adoration in his chest for the boy, a pang that was accompanied by guilt and sorrow. 

“No, it’s not,” Sirius said softly. “That’s why I’m going to do what I can to make sure they end up safe,” he answered and Harry finally looked up to him. 

“Like with me?” Harry asked and Sirius smiled as he got up and sat next to the boy. 

“Yeah, like you, I suppose. But between me and you, you and Remus are my favorites,” he said, ending in a stage-whisper that had the boy smiling. Harry knew, at least somewhat, what Narcissa and her son were experiencing. It was certainly a different kind of pain but it was one that Harry could understand which is why it was easy for him to get so upset. Harry knew what it was like to be loved, he knew what it was like to be afraid. He knew he liked being loved better, even if he was still afraid. 

~

Harry was asleep in his bedroom and it was creeping up on midnight but Sirius and Remus hadn’t talked yet. Sirius figured Remus was gathering his thoughts, trying to think of how best to broach the topic Sirius mentioned earlier when Harry’s small ears were listening in. It was driving Sirius mad. It’d been nearly three hours since then. 

“Rem—“

“Sirius, I know. I know so much how you want to help Narcissa. I know that you have to and I know that you will but I am a selfish man. I don’t want you to,” Remus admitted, biting his lip and effectively cutting off Sirius. “But at the same time, I do want you to. It’s weird and I’m confused. But Pads, I’m scared. For you and for us and for Harry. I don’t want to ruin what we have here, everything is well… perfect almost. And we have Harry and we’re safe here.” _And everything good that’s ever happened to me has been ripped away from me_.

“I’m never leaving you, Moonshine,” Sirius said, almost as if reading his husband's innermost thoughts. “It’s just that my cousin, as dreadful as she can be, has a son around Harry’s age and both of them are being tortured by Lucius Malfoy. And I have this…. ability to try and stop it. To try and make their lives better. And it means leaving our perfect little bubble which I desperately don’t want to do. But I will always come back here, to you, and to Harry. When I said you two were my favorites, I meant it,” Sirius rambled and Remus just listened the whole time. 

“We need a plan then,” Remus whispered and Sirius grinned at him.

“And who better to make a plan than two fucking Marauders,” Sirius laughed. Remus smiled too. 

“What else happened tonight?” Remus asked, remembering the Patronus. “Minerva was about reading to throw a fit when she saw Moony. So was I.”

“I went to see Andromeda. I welcomed her back into the House of Black if she wanted to come back and told her to contact Narcissa,” Sirius answered and Remus looked at him, obviously needing more context because of course what Sirius just said cleared _everything_ up. Sirius sighed before he got comfortable and recounted the evening’s events to his husband who listened the entire time. 

“So, basically you’re recruiting,” Remus raised an eyebrow once the Animagus had finished. Sirius looked annoyed at that. 

“I don’t like it when you say it that way. I don’t like any of it at all. I don’t want to recruit anyone. I don’t want to be the Head of House Black if it means I have to manipulate people but yes. I suppose that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Sirius gritted and Remus sighed. He didn’t say anything, he knew there was more Sirius needed to say. 

“I hate being a fucking pureblood. It sounds so fucking stupid to hate something so pointless but I hate it so fucking much, Moony. I hate that I had to grow up in what’s supposed to be high society to become some fucking bloke who takes advantage of others because I have the money and the influence to do so,” Sirius raged and Remus held him as he did so. “I hate that Arcturus fucking summoned me essentially with family magic and told me I was his favorite for some inane fucking reason and he made me fucking Head of House Black. And I hate that I said yes and I hate that I can’t fucking ignore it and I have to actually be Lord Black and I hate that’s what people fucking call me now. I fucking hate this, Moony.”

Sirius paused and Remus waited. There was a but. 

“But,”

There it was. 

“If it means that Lucius fucking Malfoy is locked up in Azkaban, if it means that my cousin and her son are safely away from that fucking piece of shit, then I can’t help but think it’s worth it. If it means you and Harry can live comfortably and you’re safe, then it’s fucking worth it and I will be Lord Black any day of the fucking week. But I will always, always, fucking always, come home to you Remus. You will never be able to fucking get rid of me,” Sirius concluded and Remus sighed, leaning down to the press a kiss to Sirius’s head. 

“Well that’s good, I guess it’s kind of entertaining when you’re around,” Remus deadpanned, earning an indignant yell from Sirius that was followed by laughter from both people. 

“And if it’s any consolation, you will never be _Lord Black_ to me,” Remus murmured, a sly smile gracing his lips that Sirius couldn’t see. “To me, you’ll always be my stars, to me you’ll always be Padfoot, to me you’ll always be _drewgi_ , to me you’ll always be my good dog—unless you’re bad—but most of all, to me you’ll always be Sirius. And that’s all I ever want from you, Sirius. I just want you.”

“You have me, Remus,” Sirius whispered after a few moments.

“I’m worried about Harry,” the Animagus admitted after a few moments of silence. 

“He’s okay, love,” Remus murmured. 

“I don’t… I don’t want him to think I’m leaving him or I don’t care about him,” he continued and Remus sighed. 

“I know. I know it’s complicated, too. But Harry… he’s smart and he understands what you’re doing. At least part of it. But honestly, all either of us can do is be there. We just have to trust each other,” Remus answered, trying to think of something reassuring but placating words were useless here and they both knew that. Sirius was about to reenter Wizarding society as a Head of one of the Sacred 28, he was going to try and change Wizarding culture and his family’s reputation, and he was going to have a secret life away from it all with Harry and Remus. Everything about it was complicated and difficult and neither of them were prepared for it. It’s all happening much sooner than expected under circumstances that were less than pleasant. 

“We have a lot to talk about,” Sirius whispered and Remus sighed deeply, pulling his husband closer to him. 

“We do. But it can wait, at least until morning,” Remus murmured. There was so much happening around them with Narcissa, Andromeda, the entirety of Wizarding society in Britain, and not to mention fucking Albus Dumbledore, whose owl still sat on the perch in the living room waiting for a letter to return. It could all fucking wait till morning as far as Remus was concerned. 

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right Messer Moony,” Sirius hummed, shifting so he could kiss Remus on the lips.

“Hmm,” Remus hummed, deepening the kiss before pulling away ever-so-slightly. “Now, are you my good boy tonight? If you want to be bad, I’m sure I could find something to justify it,” he murmured, letting Sirius decide tonight because he was about to reenter a society that thought him to be a traitor to his best friend and Sirius deserved a choice in something. 

“Hm, I’m you’re good boy,” he murmured easily and Remus grinned at him. He pulled Sirius close again and kissed him with passion, allowing his hands to roam the sleek, muscular body of Sirius Black all while the man in question let go of everything he was feeling the rest and let Remus Lupin take over. It was bliss for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TYPOS!!!!!!! pls ignore them ily 
> 
> also, i don't know if its unclear but i FUCKING ~HATE~ lucius FUCKING malfoy. but i love draco and narcissa. 
> 
> anyway, hope u enjoyed


	8. Announcements, Plans, Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter time! thanks to everyone who keeps up with this, it means more than you'll ever know! today our deal lovelies deal with a special Profit article, make plans for an upcoming special day, and meet new friends!
> 
> this is a bit of a mess and all over the place but uwu ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

#  **DAILY PROPHET**

##  **SIRIUS BLACK NAMED HEAD OF HOUSE BLACK**

> `"This morning at 8:34 am, Sirius Orion Black, once thought to be Death Eater, announced himself as the next head to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Released from Azkaban only ten months ago after being acquitted of all charges, including the betrayal of late Lord James Potter and Lady Lily Potter, Black arrived at the Wizengamot while this sudden and unexpected news. “I, Sirius Orion Black, with the blessing of my late grandfather, Arcturus Black III, have been named the Head of House Black. I announce myself today at the Wizengamot so I will, on my own accord, re-enter Wizarding Society and represent my family,” Black declared. It is unclear the details of how this announcement came to be, considering Black had removed himself from his family tree at the age of 15, seeking refuge with the late Lord Fleamont Potter and his Lady Euphemia. However, Black presented documents and the family ring to the Wizengamot to prove his ascension to the title. The quick announcement was followed by many questions from members of the Wizengamot including Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore however Black declined to answer any questions brought forth. This suspicious declination lends itself to many questions that aren’t limited to foul play in obtaining the title. Lord Black was a suspected criminal not long ago and though he has been declared innocent on account of the capture and trial of one Peter Pettigrew (now serving life in Azkaban), it remains to be seen how Lord Black acquired his title… more on Lord Sirius Black and his life on pages 12-13 of the _Daily Prophet_.”`

Remus snorted into his mug as he read the headline of the wizard newspaper that Sirius brought back with him from London that evening. Sirius has previously read the article and seethed over it a bit, barking about how they had painted him. It had been a week since Sirius’s prompt meeting with Narcissa Malfoy and his surprise arrival at Andromeda Tonks’ house in Essex. During that week, Sirius received two more letters, each from one of his cousins while Remus finally replied to Dumbledore, much to Harry’s dismay since he had been quite taken with the owl that had resided in their home. (But he got over it soon enough when Sirius had come home with an owl of their own one day that week. (His name was Altair.) Narcissa had said that she received an owl from Andromeda and was expecting a letter back from him about his plans considering her husband. His favorite cousin had just sent the words: “Andromeda **Black** Tonks”. Sirius grinned when he’d received it.

Remus had written back that he and Sirius needed more time to figure out exactly how they wanted to handle his ‘olive branch’. Essentially, they were stalling, which was perfectly fine considering they had more pressing matters to deal with. It also appeared, within the week, that Remus had acquired a bit of land to his name. Sirius went to Gringotts bank early one morning to transfer the deed to the Black Family Cottage in Dover to the Lupin family effective immediately. It was an easy transfer considering Remus had kept his last name in their betrothal and technically speaking, the Black family fortune was still paying for it. Just from Remus’s vault. Therefore, Black Cottage became Lupin Cottage. 

It had been Sirius’s idea to transfer the deed to the Lupin name so when Sirius announced himself, it would no longer appear listed under him. So if any ill-feeling family members of his House came searching for him, they would turn up to a dead end. Remus easily agreed because it ensured their safety as well as their privacy. No one would expect a werewolf half-blood to own a swanky Dover cottage. 

Also during that week, Sirius had taught Harry some basics of the French language and the kid was practically a natural once he was in an environment that encouraged him rather than beat him down. He was having a bit more trouble with Welsh but the language doesn’t always lend itself to easy learning. Remus had worked more on their outdoor garden, expanding the length of land to accommodate a greater variety of vegetables and flowers. Harry had helped him plant seeds for zucchinis, tomatoes, cabbages, and a variety of sweet peppers. The werewolf had also helped the boy plant lilies, in honor of his mother and Harry took it upon himself to make that part of his garden his little project. The lilies were thriving. 

Sirius had entered the village once that week to pick up the weekly torte for their home and some groceries. When he had gone, Remus and Harry had expected him to be gone for only an hour or so but it had been four hours and both boys had been getting antsy. Remus was halfway out the door with Harry when Sirius had come home, arms laden with bags of food and a box of torte. And a brand new tattoo to accompany the many others that already adorned his body. Harry was enraptured by the ink. Remus was unimpressed, at least on the outside, because his husband had gotten so sidetracked. “I had to, Moony,” the man had whined. “The shop was right there and I had never noticed it before!” Remus was actually in love with his husband’s new tattoo. It was an elaborate snake surrounded by flowers on his upper right arm, which caught him off guard, but Remus thought he had gotten it because of his brother. Sirius wouldn’t say. 

“What did Albus say?” Remus asked, putting down the copy of the _Prophet_ finally. Sirius collapsed into the chair next to him, running a hand through his hair. 

“He was surprised to see me. I don’t think he was at all expecting this but he didn’t mention our pup which was kind of him,” Sirius half-spat. “I honestly don’t know what he wanted to ask me, I left as soon as I came.”

Remus nodded. Sirius had been dreading this day for the last week, he didn’t want to go to the Ministry that had fucked him over and he didn’t want to become a part of the judicial body. It made sense that he left as soon as possible. “Are you still going to make that donation?” Remus asked cautiously and Sirius let his head fall onto the table. 

“I suppose so. Considering they think _foul play_ was involved in all this, making a donation to St. Mungos would probably adjust some people to this better. Not that I actually fucking care but—“

“But Narcissa,” Remus answered for him and Sirius just looked at him with big grey eyes that were so obviously tired. Sirius put his hand on the table, turned up. Remus took it on his own and gave it a little squeeze. 

“Padfoot! Moony!” Harry exclaimed from the living room causing for said men to stand from their chairs and answer the call. 

“What’s up, pup?” Sirius asked, his demeanor completely shifted from when he was in the kitchen. “Finish that worksheet already?” he asked once seeing the familiar French workbook papers in his hand. 

“Yeah! And I finished Moony’s too!” he said happily, holding out his work to them with pride. Harry had really grown so much in such a short amount of time. He was their pride and joy. 

“Well done, Prongslet,” Remus remarked enthusiastically. 

“Let’s have some dinner and then Professor Moony and I can look these over for you, alright? I picked up some takeaway on my way home,” Sirius chimed and Harry nodded eagerly, his circular glasses crooked on his nose. 

Once they were seated at the table with their dinner dished out, Harry asked, “How was it, you know, today?” He looked nervous and Sirius offered him a kind smile. 

“It was great, pup. Said my name right and everything,” Sirius joked and Harry giggled, seeming to be more relaxed. He had an idea of what Sirius was up to, they had told him everything they could while leaving out some of the more extraneous details but he was perceptive. Harry could tell that the whole past week, his godparents were a bundle of nerves. 

“Do you have to leave again?” he asked after a moment, looking downcast, the smile melting off his face a bit. 

“I don’t think any time soon, kid. And when I have to leave, I will always tell you and I will always come back home after,” Sirius said gently and Harry nodded, seeming more appeased by his admission. 

They continued to eat dinner, the clinks and clanks of their silverware the only noise in the small eating area. Even with everything outside of their little home going on, Sirius and Remus had been thinking about what was to come at the end of this July. Harry’s birthday. The two of them would love nothing more than to shower Harry with love and spoil him rotten on the day but they weren’t entirely sure what he would want for himself. There was also the question of France still, which Sirius was still hoping they would get to do, and then meeting the Weasleys. Harry was making so much progress and he seemed so much more comfortable since he came to live with them at the tail end of June. The last thing either of them wanted to do was to make Harry uncomfortable. 

Sirius and Remus shared a look near the end of their dinner and Remus nodded his head a little before saying, “So Harry, in just a short two weeks, there’s a very special day coming up.”

Harry looked at him, confusion blossoming on his small face. “What?”

Sirius shot Remus a murderous glare that the latter knew was intended for those Muggle relatives Harry spent too many years with. “Pup, it’s your birthday,” Sirius answered casually after neutralizing his expression. “Seven’s is a big number after all!”

Harry’s face went from confused to frowning. “Okay?” he said, posing it as a very tentative question. 

“We wanted to celebrate with you,” Remus offered and Harry continued frowning for a beat before shrugging his shoulders and becoming much more interested in dinner.

“S’okay, don’t have to do anything,” he murmured and both adults frowned. 

“Do you not want to do anything for your birthday?” Sirius asked.

“Don’t want to be a burden,” Harry answered, shoving food into his face. He was obviously uncomfortable. 

“Harry, you’re not a burden. Not in the slightest,” Remus promised and Harry slowed down his chewing. “We can do anything you want for your birthday, pup. It’s your day after all, but Sirius and I would love to celebrate it with you, even if you just want to lay about all day and eat ice cream and cake. Your birthday is special, Harry.”

Harry stalled, putting his fork on the counter softly as he looked between Sirius and Remus, a little skeptical it seemed. “Dudley was always the one who got the presents and the parties. I always stayed with Mrs. Figg those days, they didn’t want me getting in the way,” he revealed and Sirius’s grip tightened around his fork. 

“Harry, your relatives could not appreciate you the way you deserve. Just because your cousin got to do normal birthday things doesn’t mean you don’t get to either. Especially since you're with us now. We’ll do anything you want to do that day but please, let us do something to make your birthday a special day,” Sirius pressed, keeping his voice controlled. He could punch a wall. He fucking hated the Dursleys. 

“You don’t have to decide now and we can talk about it. But I agree with Sirius, I think we should do something to celebrate you,” Remus supplied and Harry’s eyes watered but he nodded reverently. He loved Remus and Sirius beyond words and he had no idea how he could ever repay them for what they do for him. 

After a few moments, Sirius added, “France is always an option too. Get away for the weekend and go see the Wizarding community in France, celebrate in our world and pick up whatever we need along the way.”

Remus deadpanned at him while Harry looked contemplative. He had forgotten about France, the offer Sirius made had not stuck with him at the time because he was so emotional already with the declaration of love. But he was interested, he even wanted to go, but he wasn’t sure if was asking too much even though they were offering. 

“Harry, you can say yes,” Remus said, noticing the boy's expression and looking at the underneath. “We want you to see our world because it’s yours too,” he clarified and Harry smiled shyly. 

“Okay… France sounds good,” he said quietly and Sirius clapped his hands excitedly, making the boy jump. 

“Wonderful! You’re going to love it, Harry!” Sirius exclaimed and Harry allowed himself to grin. Sirius was over the moon about going to France. For one thing, it wasn’t Britain and for another thing, he was taking Harry and Remus to a place he loved. They probably wouldn’t be recognized and no one would look at them weirdly. They wouldn’t be Lord Black and the Boy-Who-Lived and a werewolf. They would be three wizards: Harry, Sirius, and Remus, out for a weekend in Paris to celebrate the young boy’s birthday. It would be bliss. 

Harry was secretly ecstatic about going to France. He’d never been out of the country and never even thought the possibility was an option. And he was going to see the world he was a part of, the world Sirius and Remus were a part of, the world his parents lived in. Harry was excited. 

“There’s something else too, pup. If you’re up for it of course,” Remus smiled and Harry puzzled at him. What more could there be? Was there something he had to do for France? “There’s a family of wizards Sirius and I know fairly well, their last name is Weasley and they're a big family with lots of kids. There’s a boy your age too and we were thinking maybe it’d be good to meet them if you wanted to. We think it would be good for you to make some friends before going to Hogwarts even if it’s still some years away and the Weasley’s are very kind people,” he explained and Harry didn’t even need to think twice. 

“Yeah!” he said happily causing his godparents to grin. Harry loved Dover, he loved his home, and he loved the village. But the thought of meeting people who were like him and who could even be his friend was an equally frightening and thrilling idea. There was part of him that said no, that it was a bad idea and no one would like him. But Sirius and Remus liked him. And Remus had said they were nice and that was enough for him at the end. 

“Really?” Sirius asked, shocked by his eagerness but still grinning nonetheless. “That’s wonderful, pup!”

“I’ll go owl Molly and Arthur right now, see if I can meet up with them and set up something for all of us to meet,” Remus added, standing from his chair and taking his plate to the sink. He was delighted that Harry was so compelled to meet new people, he’d been a little worried that Harry wouldn’t want to leave Dover—besides France now—for a longer period of time. It’ll be good for him to have some friends. 

Remus grabbed a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled a note onto it:

_Dear Molly and Arthur,_

_Hope you’ve been well as of late. During our last correspondence, I mentioned Lightning coming to live with me and Sirius for a quiet, safe life. We have him with us and he would be delighted to meet you and your children if you would have us. He’s a lovely boy, if not a little too shy, but I think he and your youngest son would be great friends. Please send a return letter with your answer as soon as possible and we can set up a meeting to discuss details and plan another day for. our families to meet if you’d like._

_All the best,_   
_Remus_

Remus could never be too safe with Harry, thus the use of a simple code name. He attached the scroll of parchment to Altair’s leg and he flew off into the sinking sunlight towards Ottery St. Catchpole, where the Weasleys lived. Remus smiled to himself as the owl flew off. 

~

_Remus,_

_We would be delighted to have you all over! How about tomorrow around 3 pm at the Leaky Cauldron. I have some things to pick up in Diagon beforehand. Please let me know ASAP if that works for you._

_Molly_

Remus grinned as he read the letter he received back the very next day, hurrying into the living room where Sirius and Harry were sitting on the couch together. Sirius was pointing out the corrections he made on Harry’s worksheet the night before in a very encouraging way. 

“You’re nearly there, pup. I know you can do it, you’ve been doing well with it.”

“Really?”

“Really, kid. Soon enough you and I will be talking up a French storm. We could be talking about anything and Moony would be none the wiser.”

Remus cleared his throat, trying to keep the amused expression on his face. “Having fun, boys?” Remus asked, trying to sound accusatory but he couldn’t keep it up when Sirius and Harry whipped their heads around to look at him. 

“Oh, lots of fun Moonshine,” Sirius grinned. 

“ _Prynhawn da_ , Moony!” Harry beamed, looking exceptionally proud of himself. Remus beamed right back at him. 

“ _Da iawn_ , pup,” Remus answered back. “Very good,” he clarified in English but Harry still looked proud of himself.

“What’s that?” Sirius asked, nodding his head towards the note. 

“Ah, Molly Weasley’s reply. She wants to meet in London tomorrow at the Leaky around three,” Remus replied easily. 

“Oh, that’s good! Harry, Moons is going to meet Mrs. Weasley tomorrow to see when would be a good time for us to meet her family, that alright with you?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded, a smile still present on his face. Harry did well with praise, especially when it came to his language learning and that happiness seemed to continue for an extended period of time after they were done learning for the day. 

“It won’t be too long either. I’ll be back in time for dinner,” Remus supplied as he walked over to the table to scrawl out his reply. He sent Altair off with it immediately after. 

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon learning French in the living room with Sirius and helping Remus tend to the garden in the back. The Growth Spell Remus applied to their seedlings seemed to be working well enough as some of their tomato plants already had green bulbs sprouting off of erect stems. Of course they would use the crops they grew for themselves but Remus was also thinking of maybe selling some of their homegrown vegetables in the village. They didn’t need the money or anything but it would be something nice to do and he would donate the proceeds to local charities in the village. It would be something for him to do and he’d grown quite attached to their plant children. 

While Harry and Remus were checking in on their garden, Sirius sat in the shade and drew in his sketch pad. It was something he’d done all throughout his time at Hogwarts and throughout the war, it kept him calm and helped him focus on something that weren’t his intrusive thoughts or his past memories or his current situation. It was an easy, practically harmless form of escapism. Now it helped him in dealing with Azkaban and it was something he’d grown to love to do with Harry as well. Part of him always wanted to do something with his art but there wasn’t much use for it in the Wizarding world and he wasn’t about to paint moving portraits. He loved the simplicity of Muggle art and it didn’t talk back rudely to him either. 

He leaned against the tree he was sitting next to and his eyes wandered to his new tattoo that was practically healed with the help of magic. He knew Remus thought it was about Regulus and he was right but he wouldn’t tell him that. Sirius didn’t talk about Regulus. But the tattoo, he could talk all about the tattoo and how beautiful the art was. It was a mix of his own design with a little flair that the artist in the shop had added with his consent. It was all black and white, as were all of his tattoos, with the snake being completely shaded in and the flowers around it remaining as simple line drawings. It was elegant and striking but also subtle and soft. Kind of like Regulus. 

Sirius looked back to his sketch pad and sighed. Being the Head of House Black sucked, he decided. It sucked for so many reasons that he couldn’t even articulate. But (and there was always a but) it was also necessary and a small fragment of his mind loved it because it meant security for his family and it meant the ability to change things. He picked up his pencil and began sketching again thinking about how much he’d prefer to be the Head of his fucked up family and not have to do anything about it and how he could get a job at the tattoo shop maybe and learn a new trade. There would be no magic which meant there would be Azkaban and no Ministry and no Narcissa with her Death Eater husband and he would still come home to Remus and Harry at the end of the day. But he had a duty to fulfill and damn it all if he wasn’t going to fulfill it to the best of his capability. 

“Moony said you’re thinking too much,” a small voice said and he looked up to see Harry plopping down next to him. He was covered in dirt and his cheeks had a pink tint to them from the sun but he looked happy. Sirius knew that Harry secretly loved dirt. 

“Yeah well, our Moony knows me well,” Sirius smiled, his voice a little distant. 

“Are you thinking about bad things?” Harry asked quietly, facing to watch Remus prune the plants. 

“I’m thinking about a lot of things. Some of them bad, some of them not,” he answered and he felt Harry sigh next to him. 

“Sometimes I think of bad things too,” Harry revealed quietly. 

“That’s okay. When bad things happen, it’s hard not to think of them sometimes.”

“Can I ask about my mum and dad?” Harry asked almost too quietly to the point where Sirius had to strain to hear him. Sirius smiled a sad smile that the boy couldn’t see and pulled him a little closer. 

“You can always ask about them.” 

“Were they nice?”

“Incredibly. Lily was a ray of sunshine, she was the sweetest woman I’d ever known. She and your father didn’t get along at first, she thought him to be arrogant and rude, which he was a bit but we all were a little at that age. But she was overly kind and caring, she and Remus were the first to be friends out of our group. They bonded over books and their studies like nerds but they were invested in their education and she was there for Remus when no one else was. She and James eventually got over everything, he stopped being so flashy and calmed down a little and she fell in love with him at the end of our sixth year. James had always been in love with her of course, ever since second year probably. She was the only one for him, he’d say and he’d badger her and annoy her but like I said, he calmed down and matured a bit. They got married soon after graduation and had you not too long after.

“Your father… he was my brother in everything but blood. I loved him so much, he was my greatest friend and we’d been inseparable since our first day at school. We were menaces, though, and caused trouble everywhere we could go because it was fun and we were young. We dragged Moony along with us too and he would always say that he didn’t want to or whatever else but he was always there and we were unstoppable it seemed like. James was there for me during a time when I felt like I had no one I could go to. He was insanely loyal and trusting, he had so much love to give and he’d let you know it too. James was brave and strong and smart, it was hard not to love him. He and Lily were the best of us all, they were incredible people, Harry, and they loved you so much. You were their world.”

Sirius was getting a little choked up. He thought of James and Lily every day and it always hurt and he missed them dearly but talking about it with their son hurt so much more. They should be here, they should be watching Harry grow up and he should be able to know them. It was so unfair and he would never get over the guilt he felt for making Wormtail be there Secret Keeper. 

“I miss them. I don’t remember them really but I miss them.”

“I miss them too. But they never really left us, Harry. They’re still here with us, in our hearts and watching over us. And they’d be so proud of you.”

“I think…. I think they’d be proud of you too, Padfoot.”

Sirius sat with that for a minute. Would they be proud of him? He couldn’t imagine them as anything but angry with him. But maybe they would be proud of him. James was never one to get mad over anything really, except for The Prank, so maybe James would be happy with him. Lily, too, for getting Harry away from her sister and showing him love. He hoped they were proud of him. 

“You’re a gift, Harry,” Sirius said quietly and slowly without really thinking about what he was saying. “Really, you are. Remus and I are so grateful to be able to take care of you and watch you grow even though your mum and dad aren’t here. I wish they were, I really do because you’re so kind and loveable and amazing. But you’re a gift, Harry.”

Harry stayed quiet but just shifted closer to Sirius causing him to abandon his sketchbook and tug the boy into his side and hold him close. Harry was getting better with physical affection which was a pleasant sign. 

“I love you Padfoot,” Harry said, his voice incredibly small and incredibly genuine. 

“I love you too, Harry,” Sirius answered immediately, silent tears rolling down his face with the force of everything he was feeling in that moment. “Never doubt that.”

~

“Molly!” Remus exclaimed, seeing the woman in question bustling through the small bar in the middle of London. She was carrying multiple bags and Remus got up to help her with them as she approached the table he was sitting at. 

When they were settled, Remus subtly casted a Silencing Charm around them and offered a kind smile to her. She smiled back at him broadly before tutting and looking him over. “You’re much too thin, Remus. Really, you need to eat more. Is Sirius not feeding you properly?” Remus laughed in good nature. Leave it to Molly Weasley to completely accept Sirius’s innocence and not fret over matters that made no sense. But then again, she’d been there when Pettigrew was exposed as a rat living under the guise of one of her children’s pets for five years. And she wasn’t fazed by the whole Lord Black thing either which made Remus feel good and he knew would make Sirius incredibly happy. 

“Yes, Molly, Sirius treats me very well. My, uh, affliction doesn’t lend itself to a healthy pallor or frame usually,” Remus answered and she waved him off. 

“Nonsense, nonsense,” she flapped but smiled at him sweetly.

“How have you been? And Arthur and the kids?” Remus asked. He and Molly had gotten along well during the first war with Voldemort as her brothers were somewhat of legends during their time at Hogwarts and they’d all fought in the war together. Molly, with multiple children already, offered her home as a safe house most of the time and she was always kind to him when he dropped by. She never even batted an eyelash when he was revealed to be a werewolf to her. 

“Oh everyone is well. Percy’s starting at Hogwarts in the fall with Bill and Charlie and he’s very excited about it. Fred and George remind me so much of Gideon and Fabian but they’re little troublemakers and they make me a little crazy, sometimes roping little Ron into their schemes as well. Ginny is well, she’s following her brothers around but she’s very sweet. And Arthur is busy as always with the Ministry and everything. He said he sends his regrets for not being able to make it to Sirius’s, ah, announcement,” she bristled near the end and Remus rolled his eyes fondly but waved his hand. 

“Not to worry. Sirius would’ve preferred it if no one was there to be quite honest,” Remus replied and Molly smiled. 

“Yes well, I suppose that would make sense. If you don’t mind my asking, why’d he do it at all? You seem to be doing well and with Sirius having been in Azkaban and everything, I’m sure he’s not too fond of the Ministry or society right now. How is he doing?” she rattled and Remus inclined his head thoughtfully. 

“It is entirely Sirius’s business and I don’t think Sirius would appreciate me talking about it if I’m honest. But you’re right all the same, he wasn’t too fond of the idea but we both decided with everything happening in his life, it was for what’s right. I’m keeping an eye on him and we have safely hidden away from the world so it’s good for him to have a home to come back to. I don’t think he’ll be seen too much around here unless he’s needed or anything but I still worry about him,” Remus answered and Molly gave him an empathetic look. 

“And you have _Harry_ now! Oh, how is the boy doing? Is he alright? And where was Albus hiding him all this time?” she asked fretfully but her voice quiet despite the Silencing Charm and Remus’s expression turned grim. 

“He was with his Muggle relatives. It wasn’t very good at all for him, he’s doing a lot better since he’d started living with us a few weeks back but he’s very shy and very nervous almost all the time. But he’s happy with us, I think. That or he’s very good at hiding it,” Remus explained, ending with a smile. “He really is quite lovely, he’s a joy and he’s so much like his parents but he’s so… Harry as well. He’s his own person and I really do love him.”

“Oh well that’s good then. I don’t like the sound of these Muggles, though. I think it’s best that you two have him under your care now. Both you and Sirius are such kind boys with so much love to give,” she continued on and Remus grinned a little. 

“Thank you, Molly. Sirius and I really do think meeting you and the rest of your family would be good for him and Harry seems very excited as well. There’s just one thing though and that’s we don’t really think Harry truly understands what he means to our world. We don’t want him growing up around people who only know him for his parents dying and being surrounded by those who want a glimpse at the _Boy-Who-Live_. I’m not saying that you or your family are like that all—“

“Not to worry, Remus,” Molly cut in seriously, “I understand where you’re coming from completely, he doesn’t deserve to have people ogling at him for what happened that dreadful night and you are very right to keep him away from it all. When you come for a visit, it won’t be a topic of conversation,” she clarified and Remus lifted his glass to her. 

“Thank you very much, Molly,” Remus answered sincerely. 

“Please, it’s the least we can do. We will have discretion.”

“What day do you have in mind? Currently, the most pressing thing in our household is our garden but I think we can tear ourselves away for some time,” Remus smiled, his voice light and breezy. Molly gave a short, meaningful laugh at his apparent sarcasm. 

“Well, weekends would do well for us, Saturday or Sunday. I’m sure Arthur will want to be around and he works all throughout the week.”

“Perfect, how about Saturday?” Remus offered and Molly smiled. 

“Saturday sounds wonderful, you’ll come around for some lunch hopefully? The kids can play in the backyard afterward and you are welcome to stay for dinner if you’d like,” she proposed and Remus nodded thoughtfully. 

“That would be lovely,” Remus answered. “I very much look forward to it and I know Harry does as well.”

“That’s so good, Remus. It’ll be nice to have some company over. I do hope Ron and Harry get on well, it would be so wonderful if he had someone else to be friends with other than his brothers or Ginny. I fear he feels left out sometimes with having five older brothers and a younger sister,” she admitted and Remus gave her a kind smile. 

“Yes, I hope so as well. But Harry is easy to get along with—usually,” Remus thought of when he met Severus Snape two weeks prior, “And he is immensely kind and considerate. Hopefully Ron will help him out of his shell a little more, show him that’s alright to be happy and all that. With just myself and Sirius around, he holds himself back a lot and doesn’t speak too much even though we can tell that he really wants to sometimes. The Muggles he lived with kind of stunted his emotional growth and have made him very skittish so I hope that being around children his own age and children who are like him will help him more,” Remus revealed and Molly offered a small smile, one that shows she feels sympathy for Harry. 

“Yes, I think it will be very good for him, and for Ron too,” she assured.

~

Remus told Harry and Sirius the plan as soon as he got home and for the rest of the week, Harry was practically bubbling with energy and nerves. He tried to push it away, they could tell, but sometimes he would be absolutely vibrating when they mentioned it or when they made a nice salad to bring for lunch or when they picked up a cake from the bakery for dessert. Saturday morning, however, he was caught in between a state of panic and elation as he and Sirius meticulously picked out the proper outfit to wear and Harry changed his mind about forty times. 

“Actually, I think the polar bear shirt is what I want to wear.”

“Green shorts… I don’t like them right now.”

“Should I wear a nicer shirt?”

“My socks don’t match my shoes!”

“I changed my mind, I like green shorts.”

Eventually, he settled on Remus’s sweater from the first day they went into the village with the sleeves all rolled up, a pressed button-down, white, short sleeve shirt underneath, and a nice pair of maroon khaki shorts. Choosing socks was a mess and Sirius had helped him compromise that he should wear one black sock and one sock with planets all over them. Remus shook his head with a silent laugh when they came to that conclusion but it made Harry comfortable and socks didn’t matter all that much anyway. Once Harry was ready, Sirius and Remus slipped on their shoes and headed to the fireplace which had Harry raising his eyebrows. 

“The door… “ he trailed off, looking towards the front door. It dawned him that Sirius and Remus didn’t have a car and that whenever they left to go to London or anywhere, he had no idea how they got to their destination. He frowned. 

“Ah, right Harry. I forgot you’re not familiar with the ways wizards can travel. We’re getting to the Weasley’s today by something called the Floo Network. It’s a little scary at first but I’ll be going with you so you won’t do it alone your first time. We won’t travel by floo often because our house isn’t usually connected to the network but Mr. Weasley put in a temporary connection so we have a small time frame to get to their home, about five minutes,” Sirius began and Harry listened intently but he didn’t understand what their fireplace had to do with anything. Remus stood by them holding the salad bowl while Sirius held the cake in its box. 

“What’s going to happen, Harry, is once the fire is lit, Sirius is going to throw some powder into it and it’s going to turn green. You and him are going to walk into the fireplace together—I know it sounds scary but it’s perfectly safe and you’re going to hold Sirius’s hand. He’s going to say the words ‘The Burrow’ and then you’re going to essentially fly throughout the next work very quickly and wind up in the Weasley’s fireplace, alright? It’ll be a little jarring once you arrive but you can do this,” Remus continued for Sirius while Harry’s face grew more and more terrified with each word. 

“Will it burn me?” he asked quietly and they both smiled. 

“No, it won’t burn you. This is a very quick and easy way wizards travel and it is 100% safe,” Sirius assured and Harry nodded, his expression only softening slightly. 

“And when we come home tonight, we’ll travel a different way called Apparating but we’ll explain more when the time comes. For now, our window is small and we should hurry so take Sirius’s hand,” Remus urged and the man held out his large hand for Harry to take with his smaller one. He held it tentatively and Sirius gave him a comforting squeeze. Remus snapped his fingers and a fire was ignited in the fireplace and it blazed to life. Sirius couldn’t help the grin that made its way to his face, Remus had mastered the ability to light something on fire with a snap of his fingers during their sixth year at Hogwarts. It was partially because of Sirius’s old smoking habit and Remus’s old weed habit. (Not that old considering he would definitely still smoke pot if they hadn’t had Harry. He still had some hidden in their room upstairs under a Statis Charm to keep it fresh.)

Sirius adjusted the box in his arms a bit so he could grab some floo powder and throw it into the lit fireplace. Just as they said, the flames turned a brilliant green. “Let’s go, pup. I’ve got you. Stick close to me and keep your elbows tucked in,” Sirius instructed, guiding a very nervous yet intrigued Harry into the fireplace. Harry took a very careful step and when he was met with nothing more than just a pleasant warm sensation around his ankle, he followed his godfather all the way in. 

“The Burrow!” Sirius called and Harry was NOT prepared for what came after. He and Sirius were whipping all around in space and the force was so strong, he couldn’t even make a sound of surprise. Sirius’s hand was tightly holding his and it was a pressure he didn’t know he needed. 

But as soon as it happened, it was almost immediately over as they stumbled out of the fireplace to a new home that looked very cozy and all put together. Harry stared around his new surroundings in awe and felt a bubbling sensation beneath his chest. “Wow!” he called, not even realizing the others standing in the room he was in. Sirius let go of his hand and dusted Harry’s shoulders to be free of soot and dust. 

“Welcome! Welcome!” a plump, older woman exclaimed. She bore a smile and gave a very kind, motherly energy that Harry felt comforted by. He was meeting other wizards!

“Molly! It’s good to see you again! Thanks for having us over,” Sirius replied back with vigor. The fire behind them roared and Remus came tumbling out, soot blushed on his nose. Like he did with Harry, Sirius wiped it off of his husband’s nose. 

“Thanks,” he murmured before looking forward, “Good to see you Molly, and you too, Arthur. We’re very happy to be here,” Remus said diplomatically. 

“You boys are looking well, and this must be young Harry,” Arthur welcomed happily, gesturing to the boy of six years and Harry smiled shyly while hiding slightly behind Sirius’s leg. 

“Hi,” he said softly. 

“Well, aren’t you just the cutest? Look just like your father, dear,” Molly cooed and Harry smiled a little wider. 

“Thank you for letting us in your house. It’s nice to meet you,” he said tightly, obviously trying very hard not to stutter.

“We’re very happy to meet you, Harry. We’ve been looking forward to having you and your godfathers over. Are you hungry for some lunch?” she finished with a glance around the small family. 

“Yes, lunch would be wonderful, we brought salad as well,” Remus accepted, holding up the covered bowl. 

“Oh you didn’t have to bring anything,” she said sweetly but took it from him nonetheless. “This way to the kitchen,” she gestured, allowing them to follow her with Arthur taking up the rear. 

In the kitchen there were two boys with their heads put together, talking quickly with one another over what was in their hands. They looked up when they heard people entering and quickly put away whatever they were holding into their pockets. The boys were obviously twins with fire red hair and freckles all over their faces.

“Fred, George,” Mrs. Weasley said warning, “You two better not be up to trouble.”

“Dear mother, how could you ever think we would be up to any sort of trouble!” One of them cried indignantly. 

“How could you expect us? We are nothing but angels!” the other one followed up, equally indignant. Molly sighed and waved her arm. 

“Well if I find out you two have done anything today while we have guests over, you’ll both be wishing you hadn’t,” she cautioned and the two boys grinned at her. Remus and Sirius shared a look, both of them with fond smiles and a glint of mischief in their eyes. 

“Boys, this is Sirius, Remus, and Harry,” Arthur indicated, pointing individually to each of them. 

“Nice to meet ya!” they said happily, their eyes following their father’s hand and lingering a bit on Harry but they didn’t say anything. 

“Go get your brothers and your sister, tell them to go outside for lunch,” Molly directed and they ran off. 

“Those boys are planning something,” Molly shook her head and Sirius barked a laugh. 

“Yes they are,” he confirmed, knowing perfectly well they were scheming something. “But a little pranking or mischief won’t hurt anyway,” he followed up, nudging Remus with his elbow a little and the man just held the bridge of his nose and shook his head with a smile and his shoulders shaking with laughter. 

Molly heaved a sigh before putting a smile back on her face, “Outside, then. Our dining area isn’t big enough for everyone so Arthur set up a table outside.” 

They followed Molly and Arthur to the backyard which had an overgrown garden to the side, a wild yard, a misshapen shed, and some toys littered all about. Harry loved it. There were other red-haired children already outside, some sitting at the table, others standing near it. The two boys from earlier, Fred and George, had their heads put together again at the table and devious smiles on their faces. Next to them was another little boy with even more freckles than his two brothers who looked rather bored but his eyes lit up when he caught sight of Sirius, Remus, and Harry. 

“Harry, this is Ron. I suspect you two will be in the same class when you go to   
Hogwarts,” Molly introduced once they reached the table. 

“Hullo,” Harry said heavily and Ron grinned at him.

“Hiya Harry! Do y’wanna sit next to me?” the ginger boy asked with a bright smile. Harry found himself smiling brightly too. He looked up to Sirius and Remus who both smiled back at him. 

“Go on, pup. Make some friends,” Sirius encouraged, easing his hand from the boy’s. Harry nodded and raced to the other side of the table. 

“You all sit, sit. Relax. I’ll grab the food,” Molly ushered causing Sirius, Remus, and Arthur to take their seats. Sirius took a seat next to Harry who was listening to the boy, Ron, take about gobstones and wizard’s chest. Harry was listening with rapt attentiveness and Sirius couldn’t help the smile that poked out onto his face. 

Molly came back outside with platters of sandwiches and a pot full of soup following her from behind. Upon seeing her, the rest of the Weasley children sat down and waited for lunch to begin. 

“Sirius, Remus, Harry,” Molly said once seated, the food on the table, “this is Bill, our oldest, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George who you’ve already met, Ron, and Ginny.” She pointed out each of her individual children. 

“Nice to meet ya!” the one called Charlie said happily. 

“Nice to meet you all, as well, I’m Remus,” the werewolf introduced with a smile. 

“Sirius,” the Animagus said with a wave of his hand and a lazy smile. 

“And this is Harry,” Remus said, gesturing to the boy across from him who was very red in the face and trying his hardest to smile and wave. 

“Aren’t you hot under there Harry? It’s hot as ba—“

“George,” Arthur shot a warning look to his son who grew a little red before smiling. 

“What this idiot is trying to say is it’s hot out and that sweater seems quite warm,” the one called Percy cut in with an annoyed expression as he glared at his brother who flared right back 

“Perfect Percy,” the other twin, Fred, murmured and Percy directed his glare to him instead. 

“No, I’m okay,” Harry said sheepishly, tugging the sweater closer to its body. 

“It’s alright, I get it,” Ron murmured to Harry and the black-haired boy gave him a smile. 

“What year are you in at Hogwarts?” Remus asked Bill, the oldest as everyone began digging in. 

“Gonna be in sixth year,” he answered casually and Molly patted his shoulder. 

“Bill’s a prefect,” she said with glee and obvious pride. “So smart,” she grinned and Sirius caught the twins faking gags. He snickered quietly to himself. 

“Remus was prefect,” Sirius grinned, turning his attention back to the conversation. 

“A pretty bad one,” he murmured and Sirius merely gave him a playful nudge. 

“Not bad, babe. You’re just loyal is all,” Sirius smirked. “He let me and James get away with almost everything. I suspect they made him prefect to try and keep us out of trouble but dear Remus was in on almost all of the pranks,” he praised and his husband rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah I’ve heard about some of the stuff you guys did when I was in my first two years,” Bill answered and Sirius grinned while Remus merely smirked. 

“That was the goal, yeah?” he laughed. 

“No, I don’t think it was,” Remus chuckled. 

“Oh come on, sweetheart, we’re legends now,” Sirius grinned and his partner just shook his head with a fond smile. 

“What about you, Charlie?” Remus asked, redirecting the conversation to the second oldest in Hogwarts. 

“Gonna be in fourth year,” Charlie grinned. 

“What kind of classes are you taking?” Remus asked and Sirius couldn’t help his eyes rolling. Ever the academic, his Moony. 

“I’m in NEWT level Ancient Runes and Arthimancy, along with Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charm,” Bill said casually and both adults nodded their heads, obviously impressed. 

“Got a lot of OWLs, then,” Sirius murmured. 

“I’m in Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes,” Charlie grinned. 

“Yeah? You like magical creatures?” Remus asked and Charlie nodded eagerly. 

“This bloke wants to work with dragons after Hogwarts,” Bill snorted with an eye roll and his younger brother glared at him. 

“Who wouldn’t?” he shot back. 

Sirius looked to his side to find Harry deep in conversation with Ron, munching away on some sandwiches. He smiled softly. 

“The pieces move?” Harry asked earnestly and Ron nodded, obviously confused that there are chess sets that have pieces that _don’t_ move. 

“Yeah and they get a bit rude if you don’t play well enough, sometimes they won’t even listen,” Ron explained and Harry looked absolutely gobsmacked. 

“They talk to you?” he asked quietly and Ron nodded again. 

“Yeah, don’t all chest pieces talk to you? You live with two wizards, surely you’ve seen wizard’s chess,” Ron said, obviously confused. 

“No, never. We don’t play many games, mostly just, what is the word? Muggle things?” Harry asked tentatively, his cheeks going red a bit. 

“Oh well, I’m sure that’s fun too but later if you want I can show you how to play. Dad says I’m better than Percy!” Ron offered, obviously proud of his achievement. 

“Really?” Ron nodded. “I’d like that,” Harry mumbled softly, biting off a large piece of his sandwich. 

“What else do you want to do? Do you want to see the gnomes in the garden? They’re funny little things,” Ron suggested and Harry nodded eagerly. 

“Wanna do something even more fun, Harry?” one of the twins asked, leaning forward and keeping his voice quiet. Harry’s eyes went wide as saucers. 

“See we got these dung bombs and well, they’re no use just sitting around,” the other twin informed, lifting one hand to show Harry the small pellets and he wrinkled his nose. 

“Mum said—“

Ron was cut off by his brother intimidating him. “‘Mum said’—honestly Ron, Mum says a lot of things. You think Fred and I would do anything to throw her off her rocker?” 

“We just want to show our friend Harry a good time,” Fred grinned and Harry stared at him, obviously flabbergasted. 

“Friend?” he asked, puzzled. 

“Well, yeah. Why else would you and your… parents be here?” George offered, looking to Sirius and Remus obviously unsure of what to name their relationship to Harry. 

“Okay!” Harry said with a large grin. He had _friends_! Harry Potter! Had friends! He had friends! He never had friends!

Harry looked at Ron who gave him a lopsided smile before looking back to his twin brothers who went over the plan with them. 

~

Remus and Sirius were sitting in the kitchen with Arthur and Molly, reminiscing a bit while also talking about their families and whatnot. It was bittersweet always to talk about the past and the war in such sharp juxtaposition to the ‘peace’ they know now. 

“Harry seems to be doing well,” Arthur remarked and Sirius grinned while Remus beamed proudly. 

“Yeah, he’s been doing great. The steps he’s made in just under a month have been spectacular and we couldn’t be prouder,” Remus answered. 

“And those Muggles, they were Lily's sister and her husband?” the Weasley patriarch asked and the other two men grimaced harshly. 

“Yeah, not the nicest woman you’ll ever meet. She hated magic,” Remus murmured. 

“She was jealous of Lily,” Sirius gritted out. “Always was and she treated Harry like vermin and let that whale of a husband beat him down. They encourage their own offspring to do the same thing and make the kid’s life a living hell. I’ll never forgive them,” he continued, practically spitting out each word. 

“Sirius, calm down please,” Remus said lightly, feeling his magic begin to pulse. Sirius’s magic was always strong and palpable, and he was always so good about keeping it under control. But lately, especially after Azkaban and after getting the ring from Arcturus, his magic was so much more _powerful_. The slightest thing had it pulsing throughout the air and Remus was slightly worried every time it happened because Sirius still wasn’t, well, all there. He wouldn’t go as far as to say unhinged but definitely a little more wild and unruly. 

“I am calm, Remus,” Sirius said snappishly. 

“Tea?” Molly asked, sensing the tension rising, and thankfully, it immediately broke at her offer.

“Please, that would be wonderful,” Sirius answered after clearing his throat. 

Tea was had, the conversation was normal, Sirius and Remus remained amicable but Remus was still a little worried and on alert. Sirius, his husband could tell, was still a little edgy. 

“Haven’t heard from the boys since we’ve been inside, should we go out to check on them? It’s almost time for dinner, I suspect,” Molly asked once their cups were empty and cleared away. Remus thought surmised that the offer was both in her own interest as well as the interest of keeping the day running smoothly, not that anything had gone amiss. But no one could deny the intensity of Sirius’s magic after talking about Harry’s relatives. It was a little unnerving even if he wasn’t giving any more signs of an outburst. 

“Always the worrywart, Molls,” Arthur snorted but stood up anyway. 

Sirius and Remus followed close behind them and even though the journey was short from the kitchen to the backyard, Sirius still slipped his hand into Remus’s and gave it a light squeeze. _I’m sorry_. Remus knew that’s what he’d meant even if the gesture was small and unassuming. They’d grown to know each other so well and their individual little mannerisms that when Remus squeezed back, Sirius knew that it meant _I understand_. 

“Boys?” Molly called out into the yard where Harry and Ron were crowded around a small hole in the overgrown garden. Ron was explaining something it seemed like to Harry who was obviously enthralled. But both of them looked up instantly at Molly’s beckon. 

Ron’s face shifted into something that to most people would be unreadable and even a little painful but Remus and Sirius both knew what it was. He was hiding something, trying to keep something _off_ his face and gloriously failing to do so to anyone who weren’t mischief-makers. And that’s exactly what Sirius and Remus were. “Oh boy, what are they planning?” Remus asked in a very hushed tone. 

Sirius, who was utterly amused, murmured back, “Something harmless probably, but look at little Prongslet, he’s a natural at keeping his cool.”

“This isn’t something we should be encouraging,” Remus hurried back but even he was giving away how proud he was. 

“Oh shove off, Rem. Something we shouldn’t be encouraging, that’s practically blasphemy coming from you. If anything we should nurture it, make sure he has the necessary resources and skills,” Sirius answered and Remus could hear the grin on his face. 

“Necessary resources and skills,” Remus scoffed. “You’re impossible.”

“We’re raising a baby Marauder, James Potter’s living flesh. Of course he’s going to get into trouble, it’s in his nature but I’ll be fucking damned if he’s anything less than successful,” Sirius answered. 

“I suspect we’ll celebrate his first detention then?” Remus asked, resigning himself to the situation because Sirius was absolutely right. And it would not be fair to raise the kid in proper _Marauder Fashion_. And if he’s friends with Fred and George, who were obvious troublemakers already, then there’s nothing to be done.

“We celebrated yours, didn’t we?” Sirius snickered and Remus shook his head with quiet laughter. 

“Hey! Come here!” Ron called, specifically beckoning Sirius and Remus. 

“Oh and we have the privilege of being on the receiving end of their first prank. I’m positively touched and honored,” Sirius murmured, practically in tears. 

“Come on, love,” Remus laughed, pulling his husband towards the two boys. 

“Did you know gnomes can _talk_?” Harry asked once they made it through the garden, absolutely dumbfounded.

“Don’t they all?” Sirius asked, a small frown on his lips. 

“No, love. They don’t. Muggle gnomes are just like statues and not nearly as rude and repulsive,” Remus answered with a slight eye roll. 

“This one’s really foul-mouthed,” Ron continued, looking as though he’s ready to burst. “Go on, take a look. He snaps whenever you get too close.”

Sirius looked at Remus and smiled before bending down to peer into the hole. “Hm, I don’t see any gnome, maybe he—“ Sirius gagged as the dung bomb went off in his face causing the boys to burst into giggles. 

“Love, what— Ouch!” Remus yelped and more giggling erupted from behind them. 

“Fred! George! What are you two doing!” Molly Weasley shouted, stomping over to the garden as the gnome unhinged its jaws from Remus’s backside and ran off to another hole in the garden. It was obviously steering clear of the stench of the dung bomb in the hole directly in front of it. 

“Nothing mum! Just a little Welcome to the Burrow celebration,” Fred said innocently. 

“We’re being good hosts,” George supplied with a grin and Sirius’s eyes stopped watering enough for him to see his husband rubbing his ass and two identical freckled redheads looking absolutely innocuous. 

“That was pretty good, for a second I thought you were only going to get one of us with dung bombs,” Sirius grinned and all four kid’s heads snapped to him. “You two are good, very creative. How’d you control the gnome?”

“Got him with some roast, waved it in front of the hole and he leaped at it,” Fred answered, absolutely beaming at the praise. 

“Sirius, please don’t encourage them,” Molly breathed, exasperated before turning to her sons. “I told you two not to make any trouble while we had guests over,” she reamed and Remus finally laughed, helping his husband to his feet. 

“Dear mother! How could you forget your other son was an accomplice! And yet we, your loving and caring sons, are the only ones getting yelled at?” George cried indignantly. 

“Shame, mother, shame,” Fred shook his head, pretending to wipe away a tear. 

“You two, inside! I will deal with Ron later!” Molly yelled, pointing to the back door of the Burrow. 

Fred and George scoffed before sauntering off and Molly turned to face Sirius and Remus, a profuse apology on her lips but Sirius stopped her immediately. “Not to worry Molly. There’s nothing wrong with a little fun,” he chuckled and she looked mortified still. 

“Honestly, it’s all in good fun. No harm done,” Remus followed up. Silence ensued and whispering could be heard from behind, where Harry and Ron were still sitting. 

“Honest mate, she didn’t mean anything by it. It’s all okay,” Ron said quietly. 

“I didn’t want you to get in trouble or anything,” Harry whispered back, his voice tight and the boy’s guardians exchanged a look. That was Harry’s ‘ _I’m pretending I’m not panicking but I’m really actually panicking so much and feel awful_ ’ voice. 

“It’s nothing bad, Harry,” Ron answered. 

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

The two boys stood up and finally came into view of all the adults. Harry’s face was pink and his eyes were glassy. His shoulders were tense and he looked ready to flee at any moment. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said quickly with a very tight, high-pitched voice. 

“Oh dear,” she said, her body language softening and her tone much calmer. “Don’t be sorry, there was no serious damage done,” she continued but Harry did not look appeased. 

“Pup, it’s alright,” Remus confirmed, tentatively putting a hand on his head, running his hand through the unruly locks. 

“In fact, Rem and I are a little proud,” Sirius grinned and Remus deadpanned at him. This conversation could wait but Sirius’s admission seemed to have rallied the boy. 

“I’m sorry too,” Ron said bleakly, looking to Harry’s parents. 

“Oh please, my boy, don’t apologize. Like I said, nothing wrong with a little fun. It was pretty well-thought-out but I know you can do better next time,” Sirius snorted and ruffling the ginger’s hair a bit. 

“Yeah, we kind of knew the whole time you lot were scheming something,” Remus continued, amusement clear on his face. “Didn’t think my backside would catch the brunt of it though.”

“You knew?” Ron asked, clearly shocked and completely under the idea that he had executed the prank perfectly. 

“Please, kid, you don’t make trouble with a troublemaker. They’ll see right through you unless you know exactly what you’re doing,” Sirius answered. 

“How did you know?” Molly asked this time, a little surprised that they knew they were setting something up and still went along with it. 

“It’s all in the face,” Sirius said pointedly, looking down to Ron whose face was growing redder and redder. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry squeaked out again and Remus continued to run his fingers through the kid’s hair soothingly. 

“Pup, you already apologized and everything’s alright. It’s good to see you having fun and making friends, even if Rem’s butt gets caught up in the crossfire,” Sirius snickered and Remus glared at him half-heartedly. 

“And as long as you let off dung bombs in front of Sirius’s face again, all is right in the world,” Remus shot back causing the glare to be returned, equal as half-hearted. 

“Well I don’t encourage this, but dear, everything is forgiven and we are happy you are here and having fun,” Molly added and Harry seemed a little more sated. 

“It was fun, right?” Ron asked, poking at Harry a bit with his elbow. And Harry stalled for a second before smiling with a little nod. It seemed that he really had made a friend in the youngest Weasley boy and Sirius and Remus couldn’t be more proud of their kid right then. Harry would be alright, and he would absolutely be a Marauder by the time he got to Hogwarts. Sirius, at the very least, and Remus would make sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu typos ignored pls thank u
> 
> prynhawn da - good afternoon


	9. Narcissa Malfoy and Sirius Black have a Tiff (What Else is New?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a minute since i update this story. but nonetheless, i am still writing it and now I'm also writing a Great British Bake Off AU with the marauder's era characters so if u wanna check that out, i'd greatly appreciate it! 
> 
> things are heating up here! sirius has some things to take care of, narcissa is impeccably perceptive and harry and remus just really love tomatoes!

**Dromeda,**

**Narcissa will send her son to you once the raid is underway to keep him out of the crossfire should anything go amiss. I suspect you two have been in contact recently and you know she will probably be arrested. I will not let her go to Azkaban and she has agreed to my terms of how things will proceed once it is all over. I hope you will be there with us.**

**Sirius**

Sirius,

Thank you for the warning. I will be prepared for the boy’s appearance at any moment and my husband and daughter have been made aware. Narcissa is strong, she will make her case properly and if I know anything about her from our recent correspondence, she will do anything for her son. I hope things can be different from now on, perhaps the name Black will reign strong in a more positive light for a change. I have faith in you and I thank you for having faith in me.

Andromeda Black Tonks

**Cousin,**

**The time is near. Donations have been made, my name seems more well-known and positive. Be sure to have anything incriminating at the ready for when I send the warning. I suspect you should move the bundle within the next week. My favorite is prepared to receive it, I suspect?**

**LSB**

_LSB,_

_Yes, they are prepared. The Prophet seems to agree that you are not the scoundrel you once appeared to be. I will be ready._

_Cousin_

**Cousin,**

**The Head of the DMLE has been notified. She’s an old friend and I expect things to move fast. You will have to testify following the event however, you have my vouch and you have my support behind you as well as the department’s head.**

**I will send a Patronus the instant I know and you should have the bundle transported to my favorite immediately. You may find the bottle cap useful.**

**LSB**

_LSB,_

_I consent to everything post-event. Everything is prepared, the House Elves know and will be signaled immediately to reveal everything. The evidence is there. My snake is none the wiser. I hope this hurries along, things are not well._

_Cousin_

**Cousin,**

**Tomorrow.**

**LSB**

~

Multiple donations to St. Mungo’s, a new Foundation and charity opened up in the Potter’s name, a few meetings with Amelia Bones, and one unauthorized Portkey later, the raid of Malfoy Manor was underway. It had been hard and fast work with Sirius going up to London at least twice a week since his announcement but he finally became credible enough to be trusted. Amelia Bones promised to keep their meetings private and off the record until they were prepared for anything and she had heard him out from start to finish. He didn’t lie to her (but he did keep some precious information out of the story due to the fact that it was wholly unnecessary to reveal) and she, in turn, did everything she could to work up a proper case for Narcissa Malfoy. She didn’t have the Dark Mark, her marriage was arranged, and she agreed to Veritasium and Pensieve memory recollection. 

“ _Expecto Patronum_ ,” Sirius murmured. He was in the kitchen of the Dover Cottage and he could hear Harry speaking broken Welsh in the background while Remus was teaching him. He needn’t think of a happy memory, he had everything he needed one room over. 

“Go to Narcissa in Malfoy Manor. Send the bundle, it’s happening now.”

The wolf bounded out the window and he took a deep sigh, hoping everything would go well. He wanted this issue dealt with before they departed for France in the next four days because he didn’t want it weighing on his conscience while they celebrated Harry’s birthday. That day was to be all about him and Sirius wanted nothing else to weigh down his mind while they recognized one of the two joys of his life. 

“Pads? Everything alright?” Remus asked, standing on the other side of the kitchen. Sirius’s knuckles were turning white from gripping the table so hard. 

“It’s happening,” Sirius murmured and Remus frowned before realization dawned on him. 

“It’ll be okay, Sirius,” Remus comforted, stepping closer. “You’re doing the right thing and Narcissa will do the right thing as well. Her son will be safe and she will testify against her husband,” he reassured and Sirius nodded. 

“I should go,” he murmured. “To the Ministry.”

“I think you should too,” Remus answered. 

“Prongslet,” Sirius called, walking past Remus and into the living room to find the boy looking up from a Welsh-learning sheet. 

“Alright, Padfoot?” he asked and Sirius smiled at him. 

“Alright,” he answered. “But I have to run to London for a bit. It won’t be all day, hopefully, and everything will be okay. Remus will stay with you and I’ll send word if anything goes wrong and I can’t come home for dinner, I promise,” Sirius explained and Harry frowned. 

“Is it your cousin?” he asked and Sirius nodded with a bit of a sad smile. 

“Spot on it, pup. I have some things to take care of with her in London, hopefully today is the day we get her and her son out of their situation,” he explained and Harry nodded although he looked rather upset at Sirius’s sudden leave. But he understood what was happening enough and he wasn’t a selfish boy, he wouldn’t say anything. But Sirius knew and still got down on a knee. 

“Harry, I love you very much. I’ll be home for dinner if all goes well. Why don’t you take care of the garden with Moony? I think he said something about harvesting the tomatoes soon,” he comforted and Harry nodded. 

“Hug?” he asked and Sirius looked at him for a minute. Harry had never volunteered a hug unless under extreme emotional distress and he never asked for it. But it seemed as though he genuinely just wanted to hug Sirius goodbye. 

“Come here,” he mumbles, pulling the boy in and patting the hair behind his head. “Have fun with Moony and don’t let him forget sunscreen if you go outside for very long, for either of you. I don’t want to come home to two sunburnt boys, alright?” he said. Harry giggled. 

“Okay,” he answered and Sirius pulled away first. 

“I’ll have you know, I’m very good about sunscreen,” Remus interjected. 

“Uh-huh, tell that to your peeling nose, Rem. Sunscreen today,” Sirius shot back with a grin and Remus rolled his eyes. 

He quickly went upstairs to change into wizard’s robes, made sure his hair was looking put together and brushed his teeth again. He whirled down the stairs and quickly pressed a kiss to Moony’s lips and one to the top of Harry’s head before heading to the door. 

“Be back soon, love you both!” he called. 

“Love you, Pads.”

“Bye, Padfoot!”

~

The commotion at the Ministry was nothing like Sirius had ever seen before. There were reporters and Aurors everywhere, the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, was talking to the press, and there were Ministry officials from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement carrying various boxes and crates of what Sirius thought to be the Dark magic items Narcissa had placed out. He looked all around the department to look for anyone he might recognize and for someone to let him see Narcissa and give him an update on her potential trial. 

“Black,” a familiar voice called over the commotion and Sirius turned to find Amelia Bones waiting for him just outside of all the media presence. 

“Madam Bones, it’s good to see you. I see all went well?” Sirius asked and Amelia nodded curtly. 

“Quite well, it appears you were right to think that the Malfoys had been active and knowing followers of You-Know-Who. Well, at the very least Lord Malfoy was and is. His home was harboring countless Dark objects, some of which we believe to belong to the Dark Lord himself. Lady Malfoy was very agreeable and willing to come with us, she is currently in a holding cell. I have asked for her to testify against her husband and she has agreed to do so. In an effort to move this along as quickly as possible, her trial will be held shortly in front of the Wizengamot. You are, of course, welcomed to sit in on the trial and vote for or against her, or just to spectate.”

“Wonderful, thank you for listening to me, Madam Bones. And thank you for the invitation, I believe I will remain a spectator, however.”

“Black, I know she has a son however he was nowhere to be seen. I assume that he is safe?” 

“He is.”

“And it was done so in a way that won’t incriminate you or her?” 

“Not unless you look too hard.”

“Fair enough. I will be the one questioning her so any information is welcomed.”

“And what of Lucius?”

Amelia regarded him for a moment. Sirius told her vaguely about the situation in the Malfoy house, he told her how he came to find out about it, and he told her that Narcissa would be willing to do anything for her son’s safety. “Lord Malfoy will stand trial in front of Wizengamot tomorrow and will undergo Veritiserum. It will probably be a lengthy trial. The evidence we collected today at the Malfoy Manor is more than enough to override any donations Lord Malfoy has made previously to the Ministry. Though there are some on the Wizengamot who may not be so keen to convict him considering past history with him and his House. If there’s anything I can do to ensure his sentence to Azkaban, I will do it.”

Amelia had a particular look of disgust in her face and Sirius understood why. There were too many Death Eaters who still walked free because they donated large sums of money or because they claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. Lucius Malfoy was one of those who got away and today, in finding all of the Dark objects he had in his large Manor, it was finally enough evidence to put him away. But there were still more out there, some of them even working as Ministry officials themselves. It made Sirius blindingly angry if he thought about it too much. 

~

“Narcissa Malfoy neé Black, you are called in front of the Wizengamot to trial for the possession of multiple Dark objects in your Manor in Wiltshire. The objects in question were found today, July 26th, 1987, during a Ministry raid of your home prompted by information received from a confidential source. You have agreed to testify against your husband, Lucius Malfoy, in front of the courts, the use of Veritaserum, and Pensieve memory recollection if necessary. Is this all correct?” Amelia Bones boomed to the whole court.

Sirius had never seen Narcissa look so small, in a physical way. The court towered over her as she sat before them in a chair that had chains clattering against it menacingly but did not bind her yet. The rows of seats delegated to various members of the Ministry and some of the Sacred 28 family Heads were filled and watching her every move. Narcissa herself appeared unimpressed and rather bored. She was as graceful looking as ever decked out in pureblood family robes that made it seem like she knew she had to be dressed for the occasion, which of course, she knew. 

“I agree,” she said simply. 

“We will administer the Veritaserum now, Lady Malfoy,” Bones ordered and another Ministry official brought over a phial with a dropper. Narcissa opened her mouth and three drops were dropped on. If Sirius were closer, say in his rightful seat, then he would be able to see his cousin’s slight shaking but from his position up high in the spectator’s area, she looked poised and in control. 

“Now, just to be sure it is working properly. What is your name, date of birth, and the location of your home with Lucius Malfoy?” Bones asked. 

“My name is Narcissa Black Malfoy, I was born November 17th, 1955, my home is Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire in south Great Britain,” Narcissa responded monotonously. 

“What is your blood status?”

“Pure-blood.” Even under the effects of Veritaserum, Narcissa managed to sound proud and arrogant. 

“Good enough. Now, were you a Death Eater, a Dark witch associated with Lord Voldemort?” Amelia questioned, a shudder running through her bones as she said the name of the Dark wizard. A similar shudder went through the rest of the room with only Sirius remaining still. 

“I was associated with the Dark Lord, my husband Lucius has the Dark Mark however, I do not.”

“And why is that?”

“I need not receive it, by my husband’s allegiance, I was aligned with the Dark Lord as well or otherwise face a painful death. There was no reason for me to be branded with it, nor did I desire to receive it.”

“So neither of you were under the Imperius Curse during Lord Voldemort’s reign?” Another shudder went through the room. However if Madam Bones did not use the Dark Lord’s name and opted for one of his monikers such as ‘You-Know-Who’, Narcissa could evade the question because ‘You-Know-Who’ could be anyone. 

“No. Lucius claimed so in order to avoid persecution.”

“And why did you and your husband choose to hold on to the Dark objects in your home in Wiltshire?” 

“Because they are our possessions and there was no reason to get rid of them. Lucius also fears for the Dark Lord’s rise again, it would be in poor taste to get rid of anything that would prove the Malfoy’s family allegiance to him should he return,” Narcissa responded monotonously. 

“Were you expecting the Ministry to raid your home today?” 

The entire space was filled with silence as they awaited Narcissa’s answer. It was an odd question to ask, one that could incriminate the Ministry itself for there would be a rat who had warned the Malfoy family or it could be simply innocuous and just a precautionary question. No one, except Sirius and Amelia, was expecting the answer Narcissa gave. 

“I knew about it because I helped plan it. I went to my cousin, Lord Sirius Black, and asked him for help to remove Lucius from my life. I gave necessary information and had the help of our House Elves place our possessions around the home. Sirius sent word when the raid was to start and myself and the elves revealed everything the second the Aurors entered our home,” Narcissa explained. Quiet murmurs erupted through the chamber.

“Why did you set up your husband and yourself like that?” Amelia asked next, once the noise had settled. 

“Because Lucius was hurting my son,” Narcissa responded evenly and without blinking. 

“Was he hurting you as well?” 

“Yes.”

“Why did you not leave and take your son with you?”

“I couldn’t leave. I had planned to leave but I am bound there through marriage and magic unless I had express permission to leave. Lucius made it so once he caught wind of my intentions,” she responded faint tones of bitterness in her monotone-induced voice. “And he said that if I fought back or told anyone, he would remove me from the family and keep Draco with him. I risked it anyway by telling my cousin.”

“I see. Very noble of you Lady Malfoy.” Narcissa made no action to accept the small praise. 

“Can anyone give witness or testimony to your actions today?” 

“Lord Sirius Black and the House Elves of Malfoy Manor.”

All heads turned to Sirius who was standing proudly and upright, staring ahead at Narcissa. “Lord Black, would you be willing to testify for your cousin, Narcissa Malfoy?” 

“I would.”

Sirius exited the chamber only to walk back in on the bottom level where Narcissa sat, eyes slightly glazed over as the potion was still at work. He conjured a chair for himself and sat gracefully in it, crossing a leg over the other and catching Dumbledore’s eye. He sat near the front of the court, as he was Chief Warlock, but he had been silent throughout, his eyes calculating and his face unreadable. 

“Lord Black, do you swear upon your magic to uphold the truth to this court and give full testimony to the Wizengamot on behalf of the trial of Narcissa Malfoy?” Amelia asked. No Veritaserum. 

“I will.”

“Right then,” she began. “How did you come to find out about Narcissa’s life at Malfoy Manor?” 

“She sent an owl, telling me to meet with her in a Tutshill pub about three weeks ago. We were to discuss the Lordship of House Black considering at the time, I had yet to declare myself and it was seemingly vacant. She had her suspicions that it was me,” Sirius answered truthfully. 

“And how did the meeting transpire?”

“Surprisingly amicably for a once-disowned famously outcast and a pureblood manic cousin who made a respectable marriage. I told her about our grandfather’s dying wishes and how I rose to become head of the family. She asked for my help, stating that her husband, Lucius Malfoy, was using the Cruciatus Curse against her and her son,” Sirius responded easily, his hands folded on his lap. “I easily agreed to help her, knowing that Lucius was a Death Eater and wishing for an innocent boy not to grow up in a home like that. Narcissa is a Black, she is my family. We agreed to work together for the prosperity of her son.”

“Lady Malfoy is Malfoy now by marriage.”

“Once a Black, always a Black. Those are the words spoken to me by my grandfather upon my return to Black Manor preceding his demise. I intend to uphold that sentiment as well. Narcissa is family. And so is her son.”

“Lady Malfoy, where is your son now? He was not home during the raid,” Amelia asked, turning back to Narcissa. 

“My sister’s house in Essex. Andromeda Black Tonks. She has a daughter, I sent him to play with her for the day as I knew ahead that the raid would be happening today,” Narcissa said. It wasn’t a lie. She had told Draco to go play with Nymphadora at Aunt Andromeda’s house. Draco had wanted to ask a lot of questions but Narcissa said she would explain later and that everything would be okay before shoving the portkey into his hands. 

“I thought Andromeda was disowned from the Black family. Am I correct to believe you have not had contact with her before this?”

“May I?” Sirius asked, his voice plain and calm, his back perfectly straight. Amelia inclined her head. “Andromeda was welcomed back into the House of Black upon my rise to Lordship. I sought her out, explained what had transpired, and offered her a place back amongst the family name should she choose to take it. She accepted and I have lettered proof of that and of her confirmation of correspondence with Narcissa over the past three weeks. It is not out of the ordinary for my cousins to want their children to meet.”

“How did you know of the raid’s conduction today, Lady Malfoy?” Amelia asked, turning back to Narcissa. 

“Lord Black sent a Patronus with a warning. He was privy to the details considering it was ordered upon his request and he was working with me in my effort to get Lucius arrested.”

“And what did you want out of the events today?”

“A safe life for my son and for my husband to be out of the picture.”

“Even if it meant you had to serve time in Azkaban?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, I see no reason to invoke a session of Pensieve memory recollection and there are no further questions. Unless there is anything else from the Wizengamot members, we will make a decision on your case in the coming minutes,” Amelia declared and Narcissa nodded. 

“I have one more thing,” Sirius piped up, raising his hand and all eyes fell to him. 

“Go on.”

“I, Lord Sirius Orion Black, of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, vouch for Narcissa Malfoy’s innocence during trial today. Her marriage was one of arrangement and her priorities lie with her son, Draco. In the name of House Black, I stake claim to Narcissa and her son, naming them as part of the Black family and declare that should Narcissa Malfoy be cleared of all charges, she will uphold the family name and the virtues of House Black that I choose to enact and value. House Black is a sacred family to the British Ministry and despite its previous alignment with the Dark Arts, under my hand, it will be different and my efforts will be aided with the help from Narcissa Black Malfoy and Andromeda Black Tonks. The House of Black vouches for the innocence of Narcissa Black Malfoy.” 

Silence stunned the chamber as everyone stared between the two neutral faced purebloods. Sirius and Narcissa looked opposite, with black and blonde respectively, and also in life stories. Yet they were both Blacks, cunning, calculating, and a picture of ethereal beauty and grace. Despite one being on trial for their hand in the rise of the Dark Lord, they still radiated power and elegance together, a force not to be trifled with. Sirius felt Dumbledore’s piercing blue eyes and decided to look directly into their whilst occluding his thoughts entirely. ‘ _Yes, old man, this is what I am choosing to do with my time. And yes, Harry fucking Potter still lives with me and is happy. Shove off._ ’ His glower towards the old man was received well as he averted his eyes almost instantly. 

“Thank you, Lord Black, for your testimony, you may go.”

~

It only took minutes for the judiciary board to come to a conclusion and a decision about Narcissa’s case. Sirius watched anxiously as Wizengamot members filed back into their seats after deliberating, wringing his hands, his shoulders tense. However, to anyone who didn’t know him, he still looked like the epitome of a pureblood wizard who grew up as a respected member of society. His poster was perfect and his face remained neutral as he eyes Narcissa, still sitting in the chair. She, too, looked like the pureblood she was brought up to be, poised as ever. 

Amelia Bones sat in her seat last and Sirius held his breath. 

“Lady Narcissa Malfoy, the Wizengamot has come to a conclusion on your case. Given your testimony against your husband Lord Lucius Malfoy and your efforts, albeit secretive, in the Ministry raid on Malfoy Manor today, and Lord Black’s claim, you are hereby pardoned of all charges,” Amelia stated ceremoniously. 

Sirius let out a sigh of immediate relief. He moved to talk with Narcissa but was intercepted by Amelia as she had left her seat almost immediately. “Lord Black, I understand your stance in this trial and the decision to clear Lady Malfoy of all charges was almost unanimous. However, should anything happen with her, should she continue on as she previously had during the First War, I must tell you that you are obligated to come forward with that information. There is a child’s life at stake here,” she said sternly and forwardly. 

“Trust me, Madam Bones, I intend to make sure she stays in line,” Sirius said shortly, not trying to be rude but also not wanting Narcissa to leave before he gets to talk to her. Amelia nodded and walked around him to leave the chamber and Sirius took large strides forward. 

Narcissa was outside the chamber when he found her and she looked to be in a hurry. There were people glaring at them and mumbling under their breath or to those nearby but Sirius, to be curt, could not give less of a shit. 

“Cissy,” he hissed once close enough and she stopped in her tracks, turning around and glaring at him. Well, not glaring at him outright but Sirius could see in her eyes she was annoyed that he stopped her from leaving. 

“I am going to my son, Cousin,” she hissed back. 

“Not yet you aren’t,” he growled, taking her by the arm and leading her into some offside hallway that was empty. 

“What is it?” she snarled. “Draco is waiting for me, Lucius is still here. If he manages to get out of prosecution tomorrow he will come for me,” she bit out at him. 

“Don’t you think I know that?” he shot back, his eyes full of understanding and annoyance. “First, you’re fucking welcome,” he spat immediately after when Narcissa opened her mouth to retort. “Second, Amelia Bones told me to keep an eye on you and I intend to do so. I know you remember our agreement. I will see to it that you uphold your end as I’ve just upheld mine. Things are changing in the House of Black Cissy, I hope you change with them,” he hissed. 

“I understand, _Lord Black_ ,” she spat out with hatred. “But if you excuse me now, I have to go see my son,” she growled, trying to push past him but he blocked her. 

“Stay at Andromeda’s until at least tomorrow. Once Lucius’s trial is over, we’ll discuss what happens if he’s cleared as well. I told you I’d get you and your son out of there and away from him and no matter what that will happen,” he said, his voice much more controlled. 

“What? Not going to follow me?” she bit out and he rolled his eyes. 

“Of course not. You and your son have things to talk about and Andromeda is your sister. I’ll owl you both in the coming days, probably next week,” he answered and she peered at him, looking very suspicious. 

“Next week? Hm,” she murmured. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Nothing, it’s just that I thought you’d like to speak with us sooner than that but I suppose you have plans,” she replied, her nose in the air and Sirius occluded hard. 

“Suppose I do, it wouldn’t be any of your business anyway,” he glowered and she gave him a smirk that said she was putting pieces of the puzzle together but there’s no way she could know. Not from something like this, a meeting between them and Andromeda. The only thing she could go off of was the date that was coming up and even then that’d be a stretch. Does she know that day Harry was born? How much does she know about Voldemort’s intentions? 

“Yes well, even if it were, I’m guessing that wouldn’t be a conversation you’d want to have here,” she surmised with a tone full of arrogance. Sirius wanted to burst out and ask her what she knew. He wanted to rage. There’s no way, no fucking way, she could know about Harry Potter living with him, there’s no fucking way. Right? He never gave anything away, this little moment would all she had to go off of and that wouldn’t be enough. Sure, Narcissa was smart. She was a Slytherin. But even she couldn’t make a stretch that far. 

Sirius backed away but kept his face neutral. If he glared, it would be more evidence for whatever information she was building up in her head. If he smiled, it could be considered an admission. He stayed fucking neutral. He had to fucking talk to Remus. Narcissa Malfoy could not, could _fucking_ not, know about Harry _fucking_ Potter living with them. 

“Don’t worry, cousin. I won’t tell anyone,” she said sweetly with a conniving smile before waltzing away and out of his sight. Sirius ran a hand through his hair. _She fucking knew that Harry fucking Potter was living with him and his husband_. Things could not be more fucked up. 

Sirius sped out of the hallway and almost bumped into the man waiting at the end. _Oh, fucking fantastic_ , he thought as the face of Albus Dumbledore came into his frame of view. “What?” he asked harshly. 

“Sirius—“

“It’s Lord Black to you,” he snarled, no longer caring. 

“Lord Black,” Dumbledore restarted carefully, “We need to talk about something. Something very important considering the lightning that has struck your home.”

Sirius hated how Dumbledore referred to Harry. He hated it so much. _Lightning_ as if Harry’s scar was the most important part of him, and of course it would be to Albus Dumbledore. But it pissed him off. 

“What is it?” he gritted out. His patience was waning incredibly thin and he _needed_ to talk to Remus. 

“Meet me at the Boars Head Inn tomorrow, noon. I can tell you have… other things on your mind,” Dumbledore said, his blue eyes piercing through Sirius but he didn’t care. It was an out and he needed one, he couldn’t sit around and talk with the headmaster right now, he had to _talk to fucking Remus about fucking Narcissa fucking Malfoy_. 

“Fine. See you tomorrow,” he bit out in a whisper and Dumbledore gave him one of his serene smiles that Sirius wanted to wipe the floor with at the moment. But instead, he pushed past the man and made way for the atrium. 

~

“The tomatoes look great,” Remus said happily and Harry beamed up at him. It was 3 in the afternoon and Remus wasn’t very worried about Sirius. No, he was fucking frantic on the inside and he didn’t know why. It hit him all of the sudden in the middle of harvesting the fresh fruit from their garden and he didn’t know _why_. It wasn’t even close to dinner and Sirius had said he’d be home for dinner so why was he freaking out on the inside?

“Can we have one now?” Harry asked and Remus smiled down at him. Harry’s smile started melting off his face a bit and Remus realized he must’ve looked nervous to the boy. 

“Of course we can, kid. We’ll put some salt and pepper on them as well, it’ll be a good afternoon snack,” Remus replied, turning away slightly to hide his face as well as to prepare their tomatoes.

“Alright, Moony?” Harry asked with a small frown and Remus let his shoulder’s sag a bit. 

“Yeah, I’m alright kid. Just a little worried about Padfoot is all,” he revealed.

“Why? I thought he said he’d be fine?” Harry asked, a note of panic in his voice.

“No, no I’m sure he’s fine too!” Remus said, attempting to placate the boy and himself. “I just get a little worried about him sometimes, he can be a little reckless and I’ve always worried about him. Ever since school,” Remus continued and Harry continued to frown.

“Bu—“

Harry was cut off by a _crack_ outside their house. Apparition. Sirius was good at keeping his noise to a low popping when Apparating but this one was as clear as day. Something must be not right. Was it Narcissa? Lucius? What happened?

“Padfoot’s home, pup,” Remus said absentmindedly, the tomatoes forgotten by both as they rushed to the living room where Sirius was stomping in. Oh, something was very wrong. Sirius’s magic was practically vibrating. 

“Padfoot!” Harry said happily, smiling largely and Sirius looked down at him surprised but gave an uneasy smile back. 

“Hey Sprog,” he breathed. “Listen, why don’t you go play for a little with those Legos or whatever they’re called. I have to talk to Moony real quick but I promise we’ll play and talk about my day after, okay?” Sirius continued and Harry frowned again. They both knew the kid liked to hear everything about when Sirius went to London and they never wanted to keep anything from him. They always talked together first and then Sirius and Remus went over the finer details together in private once Harry was asleep. Oh, something was definitely not alright. 

“Go on, pup. I’ll put our snack together and then we’ll all hang out together,” Remus encouraged and Harry nodded, although it looked a little regretful and skeptical. He moved towards the designated Lego area on the floor and that allowed Sirius to grip Remus’s arm and drag him into the kitchen. 

“Sirius what—“

“She knows,” Sirius hissed, his face filled with a range of emotions: fear, concern, rage.

“Wh-What? Who? Who knows what?” Remus asked, his eyes wide and his face bewildered but he _knew_ exactly what his husband meant. 

“Narcissa knows about Harry,” Sirius continued to hiss and Remus’s face slacked but his eyes remained wide. 

“H-How do you know? How do you _know_ , Sirius,” Remus asked after a split second shock, his face hardening. 

Sirius launched into the story and Remus looked unconvinced for the majority of it, until the end. “She fucking said ‘Don’t worry, cousin. I won’t tell anyone.’ And then walked away,” he heaved and Remus was shocked and he was concerned and he was scared. 

“You were so careful,” Remus hissed back finally. “How did she—“

“She just fucking did. She fucking knows Remus,” Sirius whispered harshly. “She made the fucking stretch and she figured it out,” he continued and Remus was absolutely dumbfounded. 

“All because you said you would owl them next week?” Remus asked, clarifying that he understood that Narcissa Malfoy was indeed that fucking sharp. 

“Exactly,” Sirius breathed, his face finally calming down to one emotion: fear. “I shouldn’t have done this,” he mumbled, sounding defeat. “I put everything we have in danger,” he murmured. 

“Sirius, no. Stop that right now. I know you couldn’t live with a clear conscience if you didn’t do something about Lucius. I think you need to go talk to them, I think maybe if you tell them—“

“Tell them about Harry?” Sirius asked waspishly and Remus glared at him. 

“Yeah, fucking tell them about him. Narcissa already knows. And honestly, how long do you think her, and Andromeda, would be fooled if she hadn’t found out now? They’re not stupid, not at all! There’s proof of that right now! Keeping him from the public is one thing, you don’t spend much time with the press and no one knows where we live. Keeping him from family that you intend to see and keep up with rather regularly, especially family that’s smart? They were going to know something about it eventually no matter how careful you were going to be,” Remus answered, his voice calm and unwavering but Sirius didn’t look sold. 

“Andromeda is one thing,” Sirius began. “Narcissa? Remus, she’s a _Death Eater_ and we have the fucking _Boy Who Lived_ living with us.”

“Make them take an unbreakable vow,” Remus answered almost immediately, the idea striking him suddenly. “Swear they don’t tell anyone about him and that they’ll ensure his safety from now on. It’ll be a good way to keep Narcissa in line and it’d be even more protection for Harry,” he continued and Sirius scoffed.

“Remus—“ he began disbelievingly.

“Padfoot! I don’t like it either! I fucking hate it! But we can’t let Narcissa run around knowing our biggest secret! Even if no one lives, we can’t risk anything! And this is a huge fucking risk!” he exclaimed quietly. 

“You’re right,” Sirius said, his shoulders slumping forward, hand scrubbing across his face. “You’re fucking right and I hate that you’re right because that means I have to go to fucking Andromeda’s right now and I don’t fucking want to. I’m tired as well and I never wanted fucking any of this to happen and it’s all my fucking fault!” he cried and Remus guided him over to a chair, sitting next to him. 

“Pads… “ Remus said softly. He knew what he was talking about. It was the Secret Keeper business. “Pads, you did what you thought was right and that’s all we can ever do. Sirius, please, you’re such a good fucking person and I fucking love the way you care so much about everything and everyone. None of what’s happening right now is your fault, alright? It’s Lucius Malfoy’s and you did what you had to do to make sure your family, even if you don’t like them, we’re safe. You’re doing your best Sirius and I love you so fucking much.” Remus hugged Sirius and was petting his hair repetitively while the latter cried. Sirius wasn’t okay and he didn’t deserve anything life had thrown at him and Remus wished he could do something more for him. 

“We’ll put the house under Fidelius,” Sirius choked out and Remus sighed. Fidelius was something Sirius hadn’t agreed to at first, too many bad memories associated with it to the point where it seemed cursed to him. 

“Who’d be Secret Keeper?” Remus asked and Sirius laughed maniacally, which scared him a bit. 

“Fucking Harry,” he murmured and Remus sighed. He could tell there was some seriousness in his voice but they wouldn’t do that to the boy. He wasn’t even sure if it were possible, it probably wasn’t.

“Pads, you know we can’t do that,” Remus laughed softly and Sirius sighed in the embrace. 

“I know. I don’t know who though. Minnie maybe but there’s the whole Dumbledore business,” he replied, his voice calmer. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I have to meet with him tomorrow, something about what they found in the raid,” he murmured and Remus pulled away a little to look at his husband. 

“What do you mean?” 

“What I just said, Rem. I didn’t get the details because I’m getting them tomorrow. I had to come home, we have more pressing matters right now,” Sirius answered and Remus sighed. 

“Why do I feel like this will never be easy?” Remus asked. 

“Because we met James Potter and he never made anything easy,” Sirius grinned. Remus grinned back.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Remus answered. Things were fucked up, there were two people who were dead who shouldn’t be and it was complicated as fuck but Remus meant it. “There’s a little boy in the room next to us waiting for our garden tomatoes with salt and pepper. And he’s happy,” Remus continued and Sirius continued smiling but it dropped for a minute. 

“I have to go to Essex,” he said firmly and Remus gave him a soft, sad smile. 

“I know,” he said plainly. “I’ll talk to Harry once you’re gone. And there’ll be dinner waiting for you when you get back. If you need anything you know how to contact us but I think…. I think this is for the best right now, Pads,” he said but there was uncertainty in his voice. 

“I don’t want to go,” Sirius murmured. “I want a tomato.”

“We'll have a tomato waiting for you too, then,” Remus replied easily and Sirius smiled at him. 

“Come on, let’s go tell Sprog,” Sirius mumbled, standing up with Remus heavily. It wasn’t going to be a long trip, hopefully, but he still much rather be in Dover than Essex. Remus went to go cut the tomatoes. 

Harry was playing with his Legos dutifully and Sirius came to sit next to him. “Hey Prongslet,” he said carefully. 

“Hey Padfoot,” the kid replied back just as carefully. 

“I know I said we’d talk about my day but it seems like it isn’t over yet. I have to leave again and I might not be back for dinner but I’ll be back to see you off to bed. Even if it means you have to stay up, alright? I’m not leaving for more than a few hours, I’ll be home before tomorrow,” Sirius said softly and Harry frowned, his eyes welling up with tears. 

“Again?” he asked and Sirius nodded carefully. “But Padfoot,” he whined, “I don’t want you to go!”

“Trust me, pup, I don’t want to go either,” Sirius answered and Harry sniffed. “If it wasn’t so important, I wouldn’t go but I have to. It’s for us, alright? And don’t forget, you get me all weekend for your birthday and then some. I just have some business to take care before then, tonight and tomorrow,” he said and Harry looked away but nodded. 

“Will you be safe?”

“Always.” Harry moved closer to Sirius. “Hug goodbye?”

Harry threw himself at Sirius and wrapped his arms tight around Sirius’s neck like he wasn’t going to let go. But somehow he found the courage to let go and let Sirius give him a kiss on his forehead. 

“I love you Padfoot,” Harry said quietly, still not meeting Sirius’s eyes, his face visibly upset. 

“I love you too, Harry,” Sirius said back, equally quiet. “Make sure Remus doesn’t do anything silly.” Harry smiled softly at that and Sirius stood up, ruffling the boy’s hair once more before moving to the door. 

“Love you Moony!” he called and Remus called back immediately, still dealing with tomatoes. Sirius walked out and down the path before Apparating away, regretfully. 

~

Andromeda Black Tonks answered the knock on her door, instantly knowing who was waiting behind it. Sirius’s magic was still a bit frantic and her wards picked it up instantly. “Hello cousin, everything alright?” she asked and Sirius only glanced at her before looking past her to where Narcissa Malfoy was sitting with a little blond boy on her lap, her son.

“May I come in?” he asked, finally looking at his favorite cousin and Andromeda nodded, moving out of the way. Sirius sauntered in, the door closing behind him. 

“Ah, cousin. Good to see you again I suppose,” Narcissa said with a knowing smirk and Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t know if I have the same sentiment. But I wish to talk to you and Andromeda—alone,” Sirius said, eyeing the boy on her lap who was staring at him with a sneer on his face. 

“Oh? And about what?” she asked as if she didn’t know. 

“I’ll tell you when we’re alone,” he retorted carefully. 

“Cissy, why doesn’t Draco go play with Dora in the backyard,” Andromeda offered carefully, looking between her sister and her cousin. 

“Draco, why don’t you go play outside,” Cissy relented, helping her son stand up. 

“But Mummy!” he whined and Narcissa smiled at him.

“I’ll let you have extra sweets after dinner if you behave,” she goaded and Draco looked hesitant but went anyway. 

Andromeda and Sirius sat in the living room, the prior sitting next to her sister, the latter across from the two of them. Sirius flicked his wand and a powerful _Muffliato_ surrounded them. Sirius leered at Narcissa. “I take it you didn’t tell her?” he asked directly to Narcissa but glanced at Andromeda. 

“Tell me what?” the woman in question asked. 

“Cousin, I have just been through a great ordeal today. Surely this can wait—“

“It can’t. Now did you tell Andromeda or not?” he bit out and Narcissa fixed him with an amused smile. 

“Tell me what?” Andromeda demanded. 

“That he has Harry Potter living with him,” Narcissa revealed and Andromeda gasped, a hand to her mouth in surprise before her face turned disbelieving. 

“That’s— Cissy, how did you come to that conclusion,” Andromeda snapped and Narcissa rolled her eyes. 

“He said he would owl us _next week_ when we were at the Ministry and why would he have to wait till next week? Surely he would rather do it sooner than later and then I thought… well… what’s this weekend? There’s no full moon so his half-breed—“

“Narcissa,” Sirius growled warningly and the woman rolled her eyes. 

“The werewolf wouldn’t need supervision, what’s so important about the _end of July_ ,” she continued and Andromeda frowned. Narcissa looked at her sister and grinned. “It’s Harry Potter’s birthday. Born as the seventh month ends. And dear Sirius here was best friends with the boy’s father,” she explained. Sirius was screaming inside, she knew so much. There would be no reason for her to know about Harry’s date of birth unless someone told her which someone clearly did. 

“Why would Harry Potter be living with Sirius, he was in Azkaban not even a year ago,” Andromeda asked and Sirius growled. “Sorry, cousin. But it seems a bit unlikely.”

“Not that unlikely,” he gritted out and Andromeda’s eyes widened.

“Harry Potter is living with you?” she asked bewildered. 

“Yes,” he ground out and Narcissa smiled. “And if either of you wish not to feel the wrath of the House of Black then you will both keep quiet and take an Unbreakable Vow with me,” he growled and Narcissa’s smirk turned nasty. 

“Why would I do that?” she snarled. 

“Because I just saved your fucking ass because you have a _son_ ,” he snarled back and Narcissa looked affronted before turning her head. 

“Sirius, you can’t be serious?” Andromeda frowned. 

“Well I think I fucking can be considering it’s my fucking name and he’s the fucking Heir to our House,” he shot back and he was met with equal glares.

“A half-blood as the Heir to the House of Black? You can’t be genuine?” Narcissa asked her voice filled with venom. This time she was met with glares rather than Sirius. 

“I am,” he said firmly. “And if you have any shred of compassion in your cold heart, then you’d understand why I am asking you to take the vow,” he demanded and Narcissa sniffed and turned away, her nose in the air. 

“I can understand,” she said quietly. 

“Why me?” Andromeda asked, offended that she was trusted outright. 

“Because I can’t take any risks,” Sirius answered fiercely. “Harry Potter is the savior of our world and there would be Death Eaters fighting tooth and nail to find him should it become known that he’s living with two wizards, one of them being Lord fucking Black. And our dear Cissy here has tons of those people as friends.”

“It was out of obligation,” she spat. 

“It was out of cowardice,” he spat back. 

“You think I wanted to marry a Death Eater?” she asked. 

“You didn’t seem opposed!”

“I know what the Dark Lord has done! I have seen it! I know what he does to the people who follow him! Yes, Draco was the main reason for what happened today but I wanted out too, Cousin!”

“Well then you shan’t be opposed to my fucking request!”

“More like a demand than a request,” Andromeda murmured and Sirius glared daggers at her. 

“Yes, it’s a demand,” he bit out. 

“You are a stain on our family name,” Narcissa sneered. 

“I _am_ our family name,” he boomed and the three of them fell quiet for a minute. Sirius was glaring at Narcissa, Narcissa was glaring at Sirius, Andromeda looked lost in thought. 

“Look,” Andromeda broke the silence, “we all have things we want. We all have our own agendas. But think about this for a minute. You two need to put away your differences for a minute and _think_. We are all from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, we are family. And we’re fucking _powerful_ on our own so think about what we could do if we worked _together_ ,” she said carefully and Sirius snorted. She had a point, yes, but Narcissa was still a bigoted bitch in his eyes.

“She could never. She’s a pureblood through and through. You think she won’t teach her son to hate muggleborns and werewolves and the like?” he sneered and Narcissa flared her nostrils. 

“It’s what I _know_ ,” Narcissa retorted and Sirius’s brow furrowed. 

“What do you mean?” he asked. 

“I mean that it’s how we were raised and it’s how I’ve lived all my life,” she shot back.

“So… you would be willing to work together, Cissy? All three of us? Even on the issues with muggleborns?” Andromeda asked, completely disbelieving. 

“I can do my best,” she said haughtily. “I’m not saying I agree with either of you on the issue but I can try. We _are_ family and I want Draco to grow up knowing his family,” she admitted though she seemed upset. 

“Werewolves,” Sirius said, trying to pose it as a question but it wasn’t a question. Muggleborns was a good start but Remus was his world and he wasn’t going to work together with _anyone_ who thought his husband was some kind of animal. 

“Sirius—“ Narcissa said darkly. 

“It’s not up for debate,” he hissed. 

“I will try,” she relented with a hiss of her own.

“Cissy, what…”

“Dromeda, I’ve seen more of your husband today than any other mudbl—muggleborn before and I can understand that he is a full-fledged wizard and that he is just like us. I’m not saying it’ll be easy for me to look past it but I can _try_ ,” she insisted, still poised and still under enough control but Sirius could tell she was actually genuine. 

“My partner—“

“I’ve never met him, Sirius,” Narcissa spat. “And he was bitten by a half-breed and became one himself—“

“You watch your fucking mouth, Cousin,” Sirius snarled harshly. “He was a _child_. He couldn’t stop it and he didn’t know what was happening,” Sirius spat and Narcissa glared at him. 

“I need to meet him if I’m to even consider changing my opinion,” she shot back and Sirius was affronted. 

“You can’t,” he growled. 

“Why not?” she retorted. 

“Because one of us has to stay with Harry at all times and like hell if I’m going to let you meet him _alone_ ,” he shot back and Narcissa smirked at him. 

“What? Afraid he can’t defend himself? Or afraid for me?” she asked and Sirius lunged. Andromeda stopped him. 

“You’re inferring that you dare lay a hand on him? And you’re inferring that he’d lay a hand on you?” Sirius roared, thrashing a bit before resettling in his seat. 

“He’s a werewolf, Sirius,” Narcissa hissed.

“He folds his fucking socks. He takes care of a child with me. Without the Wolfsbane during the full he fucking scratches and bites himself instead of others while locked in an attic or a basement. He knows what he fucking is and he doesn’t need the likes of you throwing it around,” he shouted. 

“Narcissa, do you really think Sirius would stay with someone who endangered a child?” Andromeda asked, biting her lip. 

“Perhaps not, but I would still like to meet him,” Narcissa answered, her tone filled with bitterness and disgust. 

Sirius was quiet for a minute, thinking it over. Narcissa was always up to something and he didn’t want to agree to anything on Remus’s behalf in the first place, especially not considering Narcissa’s view. 

“I will have to talk to him first,” Sirius bit out. 

“Fair enough,” his youngest cousin conceded although she seemed unimpressed and rather annoyed. Sirius was annoyed too, he was actually fucking furious. 

“The Vow is happening now,” Sirius bit out while standing up, gesturing for his two cousins to do the same. “You both have children, you should be able to understand why and you should be able to make no objections. I am Head of the family and you’ll do what I ask or you will leave. And dear Cissy, I don’t think your position in society right now can handle the House that vouched for you today during trial turning against you.” He grinned a bit insanely, deeply upset with the way he’s handling things. He hated this, he was practically threatening her son by threatening her and he hated it. 

“I was going to agree anyway,” Narcissa revealed, standing up as well. 

“Very well, I’ll facilitate yours first,” Andromeda sighed, pulling out her wand. 

Narcissa and Sirius gripped arms. Jets out gold thread shot out of Andromeda’s wand as the ritual began. “Do you swear to protect the identity of Harry Potter and his guardians, Lord Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, from the public and any others who desire to find him?” Sirius asked, his grip tight, Narcissa’s just as tight. 

“I do.”

“Do you swear to ensure his safety and to never intentionally bring harm to him?” 

“I do.”

“Do you swear to inform me, Lord Sirius Black, should you hear any word of Harry Potter’s location from a source that is not myself or Remus Lupin?” 

“I do.”

“Finally, do you swear to uphold the changing values and beliefs of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black to the best of your abilities?”

“I do.”

The golden thread that was weaving around their arms and brightened and appeared to tighten around their arms before fading away, sealing the bond. “Thank you, Narcissa,” Sirius said sincerely and she merely nodded, dropping his arm from her hand and pulling out her own wand. 

Narcissa repeated the same process between Andromeda and Sirius and by the end of it, Sirius was feeling much more calm and much more on edge at the same time. 

“I never hated either of you,” Narcissa revealed after some silence, the three of them unsure of what to do. Sirius and Andromeda looked at her in shock. “Not as children and not even when you were both disowned. I thought I did, but I really never felt hatred for either of you,” she mumbled and Sirius was confused. Narcissa and mumbling were not a combination he didn’t think he’d ever seen before. 

“I… never hated you either,” Sirius said back slowly and a bit hesitantly. 

“Yes, how very sweet. Despite our differences none of us actually hated each other, we just grew up in a fucked up family,” Andromeda waved off and Sirius actually smiled. 

“I don’t know I think I turned out alright,” Sirius joked and both his cousins snorted in laughter. 

“As long as you believe it,” Narcissa answered mysteriously, shaking her head slightly. 

“You didn’t come out much better, Cissy,” Andromeda shot back and her little sister sent a glare her way. 

“Well, I must be off at this point. It was… interesting seeing you both here,” Sirius said, taking a step to the door. 

“Oh really, Sirius? You can’t stay for a quick cuppa? You haven’t even met Ted or my daughter yet,” Andromeda drawled, looking unimpressed. 

“I do have, you know, a family of my own now,” Sirius said with a grin and Andromeda rolled her eyes. 

“I suppose you do but not even just one?” she asked and Sirius sighed. 

“I suppose you should meet Draco as well,” Narcissa pointed out and Sirius ran a hand over his face. “And maybe someday, when you’re not so high-strung, we can meet the Potter boy too,” she said slowly and Sirius snorted immediately. 

“Fat chance of that happening,” he murmured under his breath but stepped away from the entrance and towards the kitchen. 

“Oh please, you want the boy to know his family, right?” Andromeda asked and Sirius thought about it for a minute. Harry’s family was Sirius and Remus and his parents. But his parents were dead and so were all of James’ relatives. There were the Weasleys and potentially the Longbottoms but other than that, all he had were Sirius and Remus. 

“I’ll… think about it,” Sirius said, eyeing Narcissa a bit harshly. He was still wary of her and he didn’t fully trust her yet. But if everything she said were true about trying to see things in a different light… then maybe it would be good for Harry and Remus to meet his family. He really never thought he’d be in this position in the first place and he never thought in a million years he’d take an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa. But here he was.

“That’s all we ask,” Narcissa said, a small smile on her face. Andromeda called her family inside along with Draco while Narcissa put the kettle on. She seemed comfortable here, like she actually meant it when she said she didn’t hate her older sister. Narcissa was cold and calculating, she was the epitome of pure-blooded aristocracy. But she was so domestic in this setting and Sirius tried not to let that get to him and change his mind too fast about her. She was still the wife of a Death Eater, well hopefully ex-wife soon, but she wasn’t a terrible person it seemed like. 

Things in the House of Black were differently changing and becoming more interesting. Sirius was terrified but maybe a little excited too about it because the changes were happening because of him. Andromeda he could trust a little, he’d always known that. But maybe, just maybe, he could trust Narcissa too. He never thought would happen that but then again, he never thought his best friend’s son would one day live with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> those typos... they must be ignored (pls)


End file.
